《Legends of the Shadow Immortal》


 Prologue : Chapter 0

    Somewhere very remotefrom civilization, a somewhat small human-shaped silhouette could be caughtdashingacross the woods.


    The forestwasdense, and in the horizon, itspreadover each end of a circular mountainous terrain.


    The snow had invaded the entirety ofthe unevengrounds, despite no trace ofsome falling.It was wondrous howit could overtake the entire region.


    All of a sudden, theshadow of a young girl burstpast several trees. The first rays of sunshine seemed to make their appearance along this girl''s scale.


    The course was littered with snow, but the many pitfalls and holes made it harsher to climb the slopes.


    Yet, in this hostile environment,ateenage girl measuring less than five feet seemed totake flightas she avoided trees, animals andother perils.


    Not only was the track treacherous, but the temperature was freezing. The breathes the girl let out were noticeable fromthe distance. From their sheer amount, she appeared to gasp for air.


    Still, the lass didn''t slow down; her pace only grew quicker as time went by as if she was running for her life.


    Sure enough, after she managednot to crash intoa big rock byleaping,aform scurried froma nearby block of trees, hissing extremely loudly.


    It was a gigantic boar measuring no less than two meters. Its most noticeable features were its bright red eyes andprotrudingveins on its hooves. Each of these hooves was half as big as the lass.


    The beast showed distinctive signs of anger. It shifted its head, then the rest of its body in a quick motion, as it caught the girl in itssight.


    Taking a look behind her, the girl gaspedbefore pickingup the pace. Her speed seemed to double at that moment.


    She flung severaltrees behind in a single motion. No longer did she bother running around those anymore but rather, over their branches.Theinhuman feat wasachieved in such simple ways, that one would wonder whereher small body was finding such strength, speed, and agility.


    Nevertheless, her light steps and jumps weremesmerizingly skillful. They wereexecuted with clear-cut accuracy even under such an ordeal.


    The girl''s name was Zi Yurou.


    She was a local from Zi Village, a clan of hunters living in this hostile area. Today she had woken up especially early to hunt for meat.


    The village she came from was generally self-sufficient and the adults hunted for their own families'' meat.


    The mountain wascloistered and business was kept outside. The closestother village was not within a four hundred li radius, and theclosestcitywas even farther.


    Red meatwas the primary source of food for people living here; especiallybecause the weather remained the same all year long, growing crops was a distant dream.


    The only herbs that grew in these parts were either ordinary grass or spirit medicine.


    Spirit medicine or spirit grass was particularly precious to the villagers. It helped heal injury and was very rich in magical energy. Asmall spirit grass growing on the mountains could feed a home of 5 for weeks.


    The reason for this was simple:


    In this world, there were two types of humans:


    Mortals and Cultivators.


    People who didn''t cultivate magical power were called mortals. Their lifespan generally didn''t go over a hundred years old.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Everyone possessed what was called life energy inside their bodies, however, not everyone was able to gather and harness it for their own use.


    This was the essence of cultivation; plundering the resources under the heavens and cultivate magical energy to the apex, which was immortality.


    Now, when mortals ate spirit medicine or spirit grass for example, they not only ate food rich in nutrients, but they also ate food rich in life energy.


    Why not magical energy?


    Because there was one essential difference between life energy and magical energy. Magical energy was life energy converted into Magic, or more precisely lifespan conversion. This transformation of lifespan into Magic was the essence of cultivation.


    People who wanted tostart cultivationworried about the decreasein their lifespan. But the subject was far moreprofound and complex thansomeone would think.


    The subject had been studied for a long time inside sects and magical institutions. Eminent cultivators had been debating whether using Magic would decrease overall lifespan. When refining energy,oneabsorbs it inside their body either to cultivate and reinforce it or to train, enhance and transform their magical path.


    The formerwas called body refining or body cultivation. The latterwas called Magical cultivation. As the bodygot refined, the overall life expectancy increased.


    Not onlydid peopleget stronger, but they also increased their lifespan and overall resistance to illness and diseases. Organsgot enhanced and provided a superior quantity of energy daily. This so-called lifeenergywas not simply ingested and transformed for tempering, but it also allowed the body to produce more of itindependently.


    Thiswaswhy body cultivatorsdidn''tdieunless they overdrew their "blood qi", justasanyregular mortal wouldn''t dieexcept if their production of bloodwas cut short.


    In essence, a body cultivatorwas only a mortal with more energy and more lifespan. A body cultivatordidn''t use magical energy but only transformed it into fleshy power in order to become superhuman.


    A magical cultivatorwas entirely different. Magical cultivators absorbed life energy or magical energy the same way as body cultivators, but theydidn''ttransform it for the same purposes. Itwas possible to be both a body and magical cultivator, but the latter generally preferred not to do so, since itwas generally considered a waste of time and resources.


    First of all,anyone could be considered as a body cultivator. In order to become Magical cultivators,peoplewent through body refinement. Itwas only at the end of this phase that people eitherchose to becomemages or body refiners. When body refiners break to the next realm,they had the chance to form somethingknown as a "macrocosmseed" or "world nucleus". Only once this smallnucleus wasformed couldpeople become magical cultivators and possess their own "martial spirit".


    The magical cultivator thenwould cultivate with the help of this martial spirit whowould transformlife energy into magical energy for him. As the magical cultivator''s cultivation progressed, sodid his spirit and their combined overall lifespan. If the magical cultivator overdrew energy, only the spiritwould get weakened and eventually die. The lifespan lost in this casewouldonly be the one added by the martial spirit.


    In summary, martial spiritsmade life safer for magical cultivators, especially whenoneknew that the former''s death wasonly temporary as long as the seed inside the cultivatorwas not crippled.


    A legend said, that at the apex of cultivation, this nucleus became its own planet and even its own universe. In this universe, innumerable martial spiritswould reign over small worlds and be summoned at anywhim and call.


    However, no one had ever been able to confirm this story since time immemorial. Countless cultivators dreaming of immortality have tried to capture and enslave other people martial spirits butnever succeeded.


    "Why does it only ever go this way?" Zi Yurou was cursing as she fled desperately.


    Today she went hunting like usual. The game she chased only consisted of rabbits and other small critters. She was just done setting up traps when she caught sight of a red piece of grass under a tree. She praised her own luck when she realized that it was actually a fifteen years old spirit grass. With this, her family of four would be able to make ends meet for more than six months without hunting.


    What she failed to realize was that not far from the tree, a cave was dug in pure mountain bedrock.


    As soon as she plucked the grass out, two pair of eyes opened in the dark from behind her.


    "I seem to recall, Brother telling a similar story to aunt Qian last year." The girl lamented.


    "Aagh...." Her distraction caused her to miss a step on a tree and fall.


    As the chase was coming to a close, The boar who was only a slim distance away roared in madness and victory. Itdestroyed the last obstacle in its way and prepared to impale the fragile and impetuous creature that stole its precious treasure.


    Zi Yurou closed her eyes, resigned to her fate.


    The next moment, a pitiful cry resounded across the woodsas something heavy seemed to drop on the ground.


    When she opened her eyes again, a black-haired young boy''s back was standing tall in front of her. Near him, lied the corpse of the enormous creature which previously threatened toput her existence to an end.


    "You okay sis?" The young boy looked at her then asked.

 Chapter 1

    "Brother?..." Zi Yurou looked at the five feet tall boy in front of her. The boy lifted what looked like a long spear in his right hand. His face, clothes, and weapon were painted with blood. He proceeded to clean himself and the weapon with nearby snow beforewalkingcloser.


    "Here."A hand was extended in help to the girl.


    "Thanks." Zi Yurou grabbed it and got on her feet.She was still in a state of shock and fear.


    "I thought I was a goner this time." She said as shesighed in relief.


    "Luckily I came tolook foryou." The boy said with a trace of worry and a loving look.


    "Sorry. I..." The girl feltsomewhat awkward.


    "Don''tmention it." The boy prevented her to say more. Their relationship wasn''t that trifling.


    "Right, Brother...I came upon this before the savage boar ran after me."


    The girl took out a luminescent piece of grass from her pouch. The plant was plasma red but showed shiny tinges of yellow at its roots.


    The girl proceeded to recount the misfortunate adventure leading to her present predicament. The boy was first surprised when she showed him the valuable grass, then horrified as he listened to her narration.


    As she finally explained how she fell from the tree, he didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. His own antics could have cost his dear sister her life.


    He loved to brag to girls and exaggerate the details of his exploits. It happened that he''d also met such ferocious boar as he explored the forest last year. However, he was nowhere near able to take it on by himself at the time. The creature had the strength of Body refinement level five while he was stuck at level three.


    Worried over his poor life, he escaped quietly. The tale was recounted in the village, but he somewhat magnified and distorted the details.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "The chances of sneaking around alone or in small groups are higher." Zi Ming said over the campfire that day, as he took a two-year-old grass from his pocket. His sister seemed to be among the young group of hunters who listened.


    He couldn''t help but wonder if the reason for her to start hunting alone in the morning was for this reason.


    "Brother?" Zi Yurou was perplexed. The guy had been dazing off for the past five seconds.


    "Sorry, I was thinking about something. Hm, the truth is..." Zi Ming was conflicted. He needed to tell the truth to his sister about that day for her own sake. Her life was in the balance after all. What would have happened if he had come two seconds late?


    Zi Ming proceeded to explain in detail how he had been lying this whole time to the entire village. As he waited for his sister''s reaction, he had a grim smile. There went the mighty facade that he put in front of her for so long, he thought.


    "So you''re basically not as strong as you''ve pretended to be all these years?" Zi Yurou frowned and asked.


    Zi Ming shook his head in embarrassment.


    The next second her reaction threw him off. She turned her back to him and walked some steps away before muttering something in a low voice.


    "Brother still has no clue how imperfect Yurou is either..."


    "What was that?" Zi Ming couldn''t make sense of the bunch of unintelligible words.


    "Don''t mind me." Zi Yurou quickly changed the subject. "Teach me the spear for the next three months, or I will tell aunt Qian what you''ve been doing around her hut at night ever since the new year."


    "You brat! how did you?..." Zi Ming was horrified.


    "I''m your sister after all. I got my own methods." The lass grinned as her face became more sinister. "So?"


    Zi Ming contemplated his options in silence before he recalled this demoness was only weaker than he was, not slower. She went so far as to put some distance between them before she even started to threaten him.


    "Deal!" Zi Ming clenched his teeth and agreed in a hurry. "Don''t come back crying later if you can''t handle the training."


    "If you renege on your promise I will also tell Mom you''ve been sneaking around our house bath," she added in a merry tone.


    Zi Ming lost his footing when he heard these last words. The shock was so great he almost coughed blood in frustration.


    His sister kept laughing and poking his sore spots as they made their way back home. He was first infuriated, but anger was soon replaced with a sense of shame and fear.


    His sister was a "hidden expert" all this time, but he had not even picked the slightest clue after twelve whole years.


    This scenery of two black-haired teenagers bickering and fighting side by side would bring about a storm of changes and legends in the years to come.

 Chapter 2

    Zi Ming and his sister continued to bicker all the way back. The village where they lived was about ten lifrom where the wild boar was slaughtered.


    The village of Zi was a clan of hunters possessing not far from a hundred houses and a population of at least four hundred inhabitants.


    Relatively compared to the entire Golden Forests country, it could be considered a speck of dust. Golden Forests Country was but a small corner of the world in which they lived.


    This world was called Platinia. According to the legend, Platinia itself was a planet in a galaxy called Helios.


    Platinia was said to be a planet sheltering three different continents. The exploration of each of these could only be carried out in the presence of an immortal who was able to use the laws of space or another having reached a level of cultivation allowing him to fly at dizzying speeds.


    The width of this planet alone would be more thanfive hundredthousandli.


    The sea would recover less thanforty percent of the planet, to say the extent of the surface of each of the continents. The land where Zi Ming and his sister live is called the Mystic Sunset Continent.


    Eighty percentof the population has black or brown hair, as well as blue eyes. Zi Ming and his sister had these two particularities in common; jet black hair and light blue eyes.


    These particular details of the Mystic Sunset Continent people were unknown to the twins and people who never left the mountains. Most of the inhabitants little left or never went outside. The rhythm of life consisted mainly of hunting and sale or purchase of farm products in neighboring towns.


    The Mystic Sunset Continent was dominated by the hegemony of three powerful empires. The Jin Empire, the Long Empire, and the Huo Empire.


    All three empires alone represented more than a hundred countries.


    The Golden Forests Country, at the edge of which the Ravenous Wolf Mountain Range was located, represented only a small particle of the Jin Empire. Each of the three dynasties ruled with a firm hand over their countries. Only the most powerful sects were able to oppose imperial power.


    It took only a short time for the twins to locate the village gates. Young children merrily played with domestic dogs and other animals. All the inhabitants knew each other in this little haven of peace. When they passed, some children came to talk.


    Zi Ming was particularly popular among young children. After five minutes of playing and chatting with them, they said goodbye and went inside the village while greeting the guards. One of them was Zi Yurou''s best friend; Zi Fei.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Zi Fei had a very distinctive appearance. Her hair was long and purple. She never forgot the faithful saber she loved to wear on the back.


    Unlike the twins, she was three years older and could be considered a woman at fifteen. At this age, moreover, the young people of the village were seen as adults. Zi Yurou used to tease her about marriage for this reason.


    After several minutes with the young woman, they finallywalked back to their house; the one located in the center of the village.


    The house was owned by their father, Zi Tao, also known as the clan leader.


    Zi Ming pushed the front door before heading to the backyard to throw the boar''s heavy body. That night, they feasted when Zi Yurou showed the fifteen-year-old spirit grass. The shock and optimism of their parents were palpable in the air.


    Their mother was called Zi Lan. She was their father''s distant cousin. Zi Tao''s Grandfather and hers were cousins as they had common ancestors. They grew up in the city and came to this mountain in their late years after leaving the main clan.


    When Zi Tao''s parents died, he inherited the mantle of clan head and married his playmate and childhood crush. Both their parents died during a forest expedition.


    People found their corpses days after they left, along what seemed to be bear footprints. Zi Tao''s father was at the body refinement stage eight; for him to die without allowing his friends to escape was horrifying.


    At the time, the young man forbade anyone to enter that region of the forest anymore. He also made a vow to chase down the unknown beast after he broke through the martial beginner realm.


    However, Zi Tao''s talent wasn''t extraordinary. Just like his father, he was stuck at the body refinement stage 8 peak since years. He was seeing some hope to advance in the next two years before he celebrated his 47th anniversary.


    Cultivating with a lack of resources and Life essence in these remote parts was difficult. But compared to living in the cities, life was safer and less subject to drastic changes. Cities were the nests of crouching tigers and hidden dragons. Zi Tao was happy with the slow and comfortable lifestyle he led along with his family and clansmen.


    "Right, I almost forgot!" Zi Tao suddenly recalled.


    "What is it, father?" The twins asked in unison, mouths completely filled with rice and boar meat.


    "We''re receiving the visit of people from the main clan next winter. Five months from now to be exact." Their father continued.


    "What for?" Zi Lan frowned in suspicion as she inquired.


    The twins glanced at their mother curiously. They had rarely seen her make such a face. "Were people from the city scary?"


    "Haha, don''t worry, this is the merit of your sister in law. Qian''er caught the fancy of our eldest young master last time she went to Thousand Rains town." Zi Tao reassured with a hint of pride in his tone.


    "Father, you mean?..." Zi Ming didn''t feel too well all of a sudden.


    Zi Yurou visited her brother with mocking eyes and spoke with an elated tone.


    "Has little aunt finally found her special someone?"


    "Yes, this is a grand occasion for the whole of our Zi Clan! You two best shape up and train very well in the next few months. I heard young master Haofeng has been looking for fresh blood to join the main branch recently.


    With some luck, you two perhaps could make an impressive leap and be the pride of our small village. That is of course if your strength manages to catch his appeal." Their father chuckled as he poured another cup of wine.


    "Hm..." Zi Ming''s eyes narrowed as he pondered over this news. He glanced at his sister who was jumping for joy in enthusiasm. Seconds later he looked towards the garden and the spear he used earlier during the day.

 Chapter 3

    Zi Ming looked right and left for a way out. The situation at hand was dire, but he had to keep his composure or he wouldn''t be able to leave in one piece. The place was too dark for him to even see clearly.


    Right now, he was overwhelmed with the sound of wild and ferocious howls from all corners. He was a bit scared, to say the least. His feelings were in a mess; fear, desperation or excitement, he didn''t know which one he felt more. The young man was fighting with his own brain to prevent the release of detrimental emotions.


    "Roar!" The feral beasts he was guarding against were going berserk.


    Hemanaged to dodgeanother wave of attack in time as hejumped tohis right side, but just when he thought he could finally make a run for it, a ferocious row of sharp teethsuddenly appeared from the front.


    He didn''t have time to think. Zi Ming executed a backflip as his upper body slouched down and both his hands reached the ground.


    His right foot which built momentum from this whole motion instantly made contact with the wolf''s unprotected stomach. The wolf''s charge was abruptly interrupted, however, the young boy didn''t land much damage. This pack of grey wolves was exceptionally tough. They were protected with heavy fur, thick hide and killed their prey with their durable fangs.


    Facing just one, Zi Ming was confident he would be able to kill it swiftly. But against this pack of eight wolves, he didn''t feel very secure in getting out unscathed.


    The strongest wolf in this packwas at the body refinersixthlevel, but faced with eight of such deadly beasts, he was in a pinch.Four months ago he had broken through the body refinerfifth level thanks to the spirit herb his sister had found. The last three months, however, he had struggled to progress in his cultivation.


    He knew that cultivation speed became slower as people got to higher realms. It was especially trueof people who reached the martial beginner realm and cultivated magical powers.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    But he never realized that it would become this hard to train as soon as he broke through. Body refinement stage five was only a tiny threshold compared to what was lying ahead. With his current cultivation speed, he estimated that he would another five years before he broke through to the next level. This was without good resources to help him of course.


    In the last few months, he had taught his sister to use a spear.


    At first, he was surprised by how quick a learner the lass was, but then he was scared as he realized she was absorbing knowledge like a sponge. When their father saw her perform spear routines he said that her latent martial spirit probably had an affinity with spears.


    The spear Zi Ming used was too heavy for her to use still, she started with a short spear and changed for a heavier one as soon as she broke through the body refiner level four. Zi Yurou''s strength and speed reached another level after this breakthrough, and in terms ofquickness, she wasas nimble as her twin who was a stage higher than her.


    Her body quenching became twice as fast with the help of a weapon. Right now, she didn''t leave home much and kept sparring with their mother and father.


    Their father was pleasantly surprised and felt so proud over having another child prodigy that he stopped hunting for the last two months. Zi Ming had heard some suspicious sounds at night; he had enough experience to know that their father was too busy with importantbusiness to care for matters concerning his own cultivation.


    Ever since they were kids, Zi Ming was the one child that had to fend for himself. Zi Ming was pressed for time. He still had two weeks before the main clan''s delegation arrived. According to Zi Tao, if he showed the cultivation of body refinement level six at age thirteen he was guaranteed a spot in the recruitment. As harsh as it might sound, the strength requirements for young girls were generally less severe for obvious reasons.


    Zi Ming was a ball of nerves for the last four months. The servile attitude of their father didn''t stand well with him. He needed strength. Powerful strength so no one could take advantage of their family.


    "What''s so good about that Zi Haofeng anyways?" Zi Mingsaidin annoyance.


    "Roar!" The angered wolves prepared one moreassault. The little man they encircled even had the nerve to taunt them after he penetratedtheir territory.


    "Come!" Zi Ming stoppedreminiscing over stuff he couldn''t changeand focused on the task at hand.


    He still had thoughts to escape if he could, but he suddenly realized that these wolves'' behavior was strange.


    At this insight, an idea struck his mind.


    It was a risk, but something told him, hispoor recent luck could turn around if he was ableto slaughter thisobnoxiouspack of wolves.

 Chapter 4

    The raging battle between one boy and eight murderous wolves continued for almost two hours. At first, Zi Ming was able to strike down his enemies in quick fashion.


    In about half an hour he''d been able to kill the most inexperienced and impetuous wolves from the pack. In the beginning, the wolves thought he was easy prey, so the alphatried to use him as target practice for the young ones. This mentality changed after they tested the waters though.


    No matter how obnoxious and simple these creatures appeared, they were vicious predators with honed carnivorous instincts.


    The alpha wolf didn''t panic after he got an idea of his opponent''s strength. He wanted their prey to waste stamina beforehe engaged in the battle as well. When Zi Ming understood his stratagem, he started saving strength. Before he did so, he had already slaughtered three of the weakest beasts. The wolves began to calm down when they understood he was no pushover. That was also when the battle became really hard for Zi Ming.


    <div>


    Wolves once calmed down, are extremely tough opponents. To make matters worse, their teamwork was maximized with the presence ofan alpha. The sly animal kept issuing strange sounds from behind, as his minions began to attack from various angles, and retreated when in danger.


    "This could go on for quite a while. I might die at this rate." Zi Ming analyzed the situation. He had to admit that he was in quite the quagmire.


    "If only I could get rid ofthat pain in the ass first..." He thought while catching the commanding wolf in his field of view. Right now, Zi Mingcouldn''t affordthe luxury to look away for a second. His eyes had already adapted to the darkness, but these opponents would surely catch him off guard if he didn''t use proper caution.


    The battle still had to come to an end, but he already felt as if his battle senses had experienced a considerable leap. His vision and reflexes in particular. Right now, he felt like he almost had eyes behind his back. Sometimes he didn''t even need to move his eyes, in order to launch an attack in one of his blind spots.


    Combinedwithhis 400 kilograms of strength, the wolves could only accept their death once they met with the end of his spear. Each level of body refinement granted around 50 kgs of strength for people with poor constitutions and 80 for heaven-defying geniuses.


    Zi Ming had more than 80kgs of strength at age ten when he first started body quenching. By the time he was about to experience his first breakthrough, he had gained about 20kgs of raw power. Adding the 60kgs he accumulated for each level he advanced, his strength approximately totaled for400 kilograms.


    In contrast, wild animals didn''t experience huge leaps in their strength before they formed a "demon core". Matched up against humans of the same level or higher, they didn''t possess much of an advantage. Zi Ming also mastered the use of his weapon to a high level.


    "Demon cores", were the equivalent of world embryons for animals. Once they broke through body refinement level nine, beasts had the chance to evolve another step. Beasts didn''t possess Martial Spirits, but their savage strength and eerie magical powers more than made up for it.Afabled immortal evenonce said that martial spirits were only gifted to mankind to rival demonic beasts.


    Beasts didn''t need to cultivate in order to become strong; they only ate magical treasures, hunted other beasts, or slept. The older they grew, the stronger they became according to their own grade and potential. If a beast had a noble bloodline, it was guaranteed to grow extremely powerful as long as it didn''t fall from the sky.


    "My stamina will run out at this rate..." Zi Ming wasdrained. Each thrust of his spear was less precise than the last.


    "Wuu...!"


    His attacks finally connected with one beast. The beast''s stomach was transpierced as it was lifted from the ground. Zi Ming didn''t stop moving yet; it was the most dangerous time for him. He couldn''t remove his weapon from the impaled wolf fast enough.


    He let go of the spear as he felt a quick attack coming from his back. He didn''t have the leisure to try and evade, the wolf''s assault was too sudden. Zi Ming clenched his teeth and crooked his elbow.


    "Crunch!" The vicious fangs piercedthearm andreached a bone.


    "Dammit!"


    Zi Ming was too angry to care about the surge of pain. He endured the urge to cry as he lost his balance and fellclose to the wolf he massacred previously.


    Theother onedidn''t seem to noticenor care about the fall. Despitedropping down back first, it still hadn''t let go of the arm. It was gnawing at it savagely, not wanting to let go.


    Seeing the perfect opportunity to strike, the rest of the wolves were preparing to pounce on their prey.


    "To hell with you all!" Zi Ming''s survival instincts kicked in. He used his other hand tograb the wolf''s neck. It was completely vulnerable since he was biting from a reversed position.


    Zi Ming''s strong grip made a complete mess of the wolf''s throat organs.


    The wolf wasn''t dead yet but had finally let go. The boy immediately got up and freed his weapon from the impaled wolf.


    There were only three wolves remaining now, but he didn''t feel confident at all in his current state.


    "Cling!"


    After another five minutes of battle, Zi Ming was able to exterminate the two remainingbetas. His only opponent left now was this body refiner level 6 wolf.


    Zi Ming had to admit that it was extremely strong. In his normal state, he would be able to kill it under twenty moves. The battle had been too hazardous, however. He''d also lost some blood after he was bitten by one of the beasts.


    His accuracy and strength had taken a hit.The wolf was even capable to parry some of his horizontal blows with the help of his claws. His only chance to win now was a clean spear strike in the creature''s vitals.


    Running away wasn''t an option he needed to consider. As he was now, he would probably faint before reaching the village or be attacked by another beast.He only wanted to kill this wolf quickly and find a safe place to rest.


    ....................................................................................


    At the other end of the forest, the gates of Zi Village.


    "Sister Fei, hasn''t my brother appeared yet?


    A young woman with long purple hair and a saber on her back turned around at the sound of this voice.


    "It''s you, sister Yurou. Sorry, but he still hasn''t come down from the mountain." She responded with assurance.


    "That idiot....." Zi Yurou''s face showed a trace of worry.


    "What are you doing here at this hour?" A tall man with broad shoulders who was walking their way asked.


    "Clan head!" The guards at the gate greeted him with respect. Zi Fei''s was a bit less constrained due to her friendship with his daughter. Sheexecuted a slight bow and merely gave him way unlike the rest of the guards, whogathered in a row.


    "Zi Fei, How have your parents been doing?" The man tickled his beard and asked.


    "Very good, thanks to your care, clan Head!" She answered politely. She had obtained this safe position at the gate thanks to him. She didn''t need to hunt for daily necessities and was paid a daily income either in food or other necessities. With her sickly parents and young siblings, this was the perfect job for her.


    Everyone in the village knew she was receiving favored treatment thanks to Zi Yurou, but no one was voicing their thoughts. She had the strength to back up this treatment. Zi Fei''s cultivating talent was on par with the village chief''s son after all.


    At age sixteen she had already reached body refinement level six. Some people even suspected that she would have reached a higher level if not for her special circumstances. Taking care of an entire family was harsh for a girl that young.


    Zi Tao was hoping for her to grab a spot to go Thousands Rain City along with his children. He certainly had high hopes for her.


    "Father! This isn''t the time for chitchat." The young girl at their side was growing angry.


    "Hm?" Zi Tao was perplexed.


    "Brother has gone missing." She finally said.


    "What?!"

 Chapter 5

    "Ha...ha."


    Zi Ming was taking deep breaths. The state he was in had gone beyond simple fatigue.


    "I don''t think I''ve ever been this tired in my thirteen years."


    Thankfully for him, he had finally managed to claim victory against the terrible group of wolves. He didn''t want anything to do with this species for a long time.


    Bruises, cuts, and bites were all over his body. His originally brown and black attire was unrecognizable. The pants were black, to begin with, so the red color of blood didn''t affect it much. However, the top was brown; at least it was three hours ago.


    If somebody had told him that his day would finish in such a manner, he wouldn''t have believed it. He examined his injuries and exhaled a sigh of relief as he noticed that none of them were lethal. It wasn''t the first time that his body took a beating, butit sure as hell was the first time that he had felt such pain and despair.


    He looked over at the corpse of the wolf commander. Unlike the rest of the wolves, his fur was red except for its stomach which was yellow.


    "What a weird creature." He thought. "This guy was as smart if not more than a human."


    "I know I shouldn''t dally here too long, but don''t tell me I''ll really have to leave from here empty-handed?" Zi Ming was baffled. This drawn-out battle had to count for something.


    "I''ve never seen wolves that don''t run away when their pack gets completely slaughtered..."


    Indeed, Zi Ming had analyzed the wolves'' behavior during the battle. None of them was attempting to flee from the fight, even after most of their comrades fell. He knew there had to be a hidden meaning or significance to the way they acted, but he still couldn''t put his finger on the reason.He sensedhe was close to unearthing it, but he was missing an important detail.


    Wolves were creatures that lived extremely long and could endure hunger for extended periods of time. They valued the survival of the pack over the achievement of their objectives. For wolves, a successful hunt wasn''t done at the expanse of their well-being.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    There were different species of wolves living in these mountains, but none of them exhibitedan inclination towards foolish bravery. They were cut-throat and cold like the local weather, but also, and only worked as one unit for each of their daily activities.


    For them to go after Zi Ming in this reckless manner, there definitely had to be an issue. While the young man was in deep thought, he suddenly heard the rustle of leaves behind a nearby bush.


    Zi Ming panicked. He had spent too much time on this spot. The smell of blood had already wafted through the air. He was preparing to run away and find a place to hide beforedisaster befell him.


    "Wuwu..." A small creature rushed out from the bushes and looked towards him. It then proceeded totrot and rubits head on the corpse of the red and yellow wolf.


    "Hm?"Zi Ming wastaken off guard. The small creature''s sounds only got louder as time went on. It seemed like it was crying.


    It was too dark for him to determine its definite silhouettebut it had to be black since he couldn''t even make out its features.


    The small creature once again turned its eyes in his direction.


    "Sniff, sniff." The black ball of fur approached Zi Ming and snuffed his clothes a bit. It didn''t seem dangerous sohe decided to catch it in his hands.


    "Wuu!" The furry thing made a short ruckuswhen it was lifted. However,it once again sniffed the boy and decided to lickthe bloody face.


    "Stop! Haha. It tickles." Zi Ming was enjoying thisoutlandish encounter with this furry little thing until he recalled he had to leave here.


    "We''re making too much noise." He looked in the surroundings as he said.


    Little thing what are you?"


    Zi Ming wasn''t sure if this was a wolf pup. He needed to examine it some moreto be sure. He wanted to take it back with him, but he felt conflicted since he didn''t know if it had a motheror afamily somewhere close by.


    Zi Ming foughtbeasts for a living almost daily, but it didn''t mean he hated animals. On the contrary, climbing these mountains, and entering these forests on a daily basis since he was a child, allowed him to develop of sense of closeness with nature and the multitude of beasts roaming in its bosom.


    His attitude towards people and beasts was the same. He treated both with the same respect and kindness they showed him.They also had quite a number of dogs andwolves they bred in the clan. Wolf meat wasn''t something thathis people ate, to begin with.


    He put the little beast behind the bush where itcame from, beforedeciding to leave witha bit of reluctance.


    But, ashe started to run back, hefelt as ifsomething was following him.


    "That little beast from just now, surely can''t be this fast." Zi Ming mused. "I''m probably imagining things."


    The boyfelthe was being silly forentertaining such thoughts. But as hekept running, he failed to notice that some of the cuts he previously had on his face were healing at a conspicuousrate.

 Chapter 6

    Zi Ming had been running thirtyminutes non-stop. The mountain was colder than usual at dark, but tonight was incomparably freezing. Trees had started to lose leaves as the first signs of winter cropped up.Snow coated this area all year, but winter was a different matteraltogether.


    Even with his level of cultivation, each winter, Zi Ming felt some degree of hardshipenduring the freezing weather. During snowfall, villagers would make fewer trips in these brisk mountains.


    "Hu, hu..."


    Zi Ming''s breath became uneven. He finally reached his limits.The terrain was so cold that he didn''t even feel pain from his injuries, but the strain they had caused himwas manifesting.


    He ran for another two minutes before his legs began trembling. The village was less thantenli away, but he couldn''t muster any more strengthto resist the weariness.


    "Plop!"


    Zi Ming dropped in the snow at last. He tried to get up, but his vision gradually became blurry as he ultimately lost consciousness and passed out.


    The forest was eerily peaceful.


    Besides the sound ofwhistling windand rustling branches, there was nothing. The boy was basically defenseless atthemoment.


    He was in a very deep slumber right now.


    If any animal decided to attack, he wouldn''t be able to protect himself. The chances of him escaping death this time were close to nill. To make matters worse, the stench of blood on his clothes would also most probablyattract carnivorous beasts.


    Suddenly, something came running in the distance. It was a little ball of fur. The creature had its tongue stuck out as it ran in the middle of trees.


    It was surprisingly the small pup Zi Ming had met before.


    The place with the dead wolves was more than forty li away.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    At his top form, the sleeping boy would run this distance underfifteen minutes, but he was severely weakened.


    Such speed and stamina couldn''t be considered normal, however. Zi Ming was at the body refiner level five peak. Once someone reached this stage, their muscles and tendons would become reinforced. It was the very reason why the wolf from before wasn''t able to rip his arm off.


    Reaching this level, the body would be able to take more punishment and allow the cultivator to produce feats that normal humans couldn''t accomplish.


    This wolf-like pup most likely followed Zi Mingall the way back from the previous spot. It was even more glaring because, the boy had taken precautions, so as not to cross the territory of dangerous animals in the area. If Zi Ming had run in a straight line, he would have probably met death thousand times over.


    Thebeastyelped as it caught the sight of the black-haired boy. He rushed in his direction and started sniffing his clothes, seemingly looking for something. The sniffs became more erratic as its nosegotnearer the boy''s mangled left arm.


    "Wuwu..."


    The little creature''s silvery eyes became brighter once he noticed the traces of fangs and the blood which had yet to dry. Thecrimson liquid was slowly drippingfromthe injuriesand dying the snow red. It put its two front paws on the boy''s member and began a lick motion.


    "Slurp, slurp."


    The pup didn''tseem to understand the situation of the boy. He continued to lick and slurp on the warm substance for half a minute before something strange happened.


    The wounds on the boy''s arm started to close. A minute later, the blood had stopped flowing; as the red stain alsoceased toexpand around his elbow. The furry ball threw ahissy fit after ittook noteof theodd occurrence.


    "Wu!"


    Thesmall beast triedto lick the snow but its sensitive tongue couldn''t handle the chillysensation rushing in.


    The creature seemed to be enraged at this. It tried the same thing several times in succession, but to no avail. After some time, it decided to give up on the impossible endeavor. It proceeded to lick on each and every cut and bruise it could come across on the boy from that point on.


    Two minutes later, Zi Ming''s body which was completely motionless before moved.


    His head and face whichwereentirelystill minutes agoshook abruptly. Zi Ming opened his eyes in confusion as his face was resting on the snow. He turned on his back with surprising ease as he putahand on his forehead.


    He was feeling a terrible headache right now. He wasagonizing over the pain before he recalled where he was.


    "Crap! How long have I been asleep?" He said as he got up and took hold of his spear.


    "Huh? How come I feel so light all of a sudden." Zi Ming was puzzled.


    "Wuwu!"


    A familiar sound camefrom behind.


    When Zi Ming examined the source of the sound, he was taken aback. "Little guy, what are you doing here?"

 Chapter 7

    Zi Ming was completely stunned. When did that beast appear by his side?


    "Wait. Something isn''t right." He looked at the traces of red in the snow and then at his injuries and considered something.


    "Wuwu!" The little guy was pacing around Zi Ming seemingly pleased to see him wake up.


    "How did my injuries heal all of a sudden?"


    "Something is definitely wrong here." He once again looked at the trotting pup at his feet and said.


    "I wonder how much time passed. Also, how did this guy find me?" Zi Ming suddenly moved. He was testing an absurd possibility.


    He was shocked by how unimpeded his movements were. It looked as if he had already regained his abilities.


    "Recovering in such a short time..." Zi Ming was flabbergasted but wasequally pleasantly surprised. He didn''t know what happened, but he sure as hell was glad he was back at top fitness.


    The smile on his face didn''t last long, however. He looked at the side and caught the black pup runningalong with insane ease.


    "What?" The little furry ball was displaying astonishing speed. Zi Ming was dashing thrice as fast as earlier, but the beast was able to keep up.


    He stopped running and sighed as he thought out loud: "I definitelywasn''t paranoid before..."


    He made a very queer face which seemed to catch the attention of the small creature.


    "Wuu..." The beast stood close and arced its head as it looked at him curiously.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Nevermind, I think I''ve had enough things to fuss over in one night." Zi Ming said. His head was still aching and despite feeling healthier and rejuvenated, he needed to relax his mind and spirit.Too many things had happened in one day for him to add one more mental load.


    This feeling of being a survivor of death two times in a row was good, even though he didn''t understand how he managed to do so the second time around.


    He looked at the beast and asked: "Want to come with?"


    He was no longer so keen on getting rid of this little guy if he had to be honest.


    First of all, he didn''t know if this littlepup had something to do with him waking up in his current condition. Secondly, he didn''t want to take it back in that dangerous area after it had taken the trouble to follow him of his own accord.


    Thirdly, this little beast had shown a speed that was abnormal for its age. Zi Ming was thinking of taking this little guy as his own personal pet. Maybe it could become useful in the future.


    "Wuwu!" The pup didn''t seem to understand what this human was saying. It was simply wagging its tail and yelping as if waiting for the boy to continue to run.


    "Let''s go, I''ll use this opportunity to test your skills." Zi Ming just smiled and chose to put everything aside for now. He wasn''t an indecisive person. He moved and was quickly followed by the creature.


    "Swoosh..."


    The wind whooshed asthepair disappeared fromthe spot in a flash.


    .......................................................................................................


    At the other end of the forest, a dozen of people were running anxiously. None of them exchanged words as they all looked at the back of one man leading at the front.


    The man''s face wasdark, and the people behind him knew better than to provoke his anger.


    At the same time, talking wasn''t of much use in this situation. They had been searching the forest for more than an hour but they couldn''t find any traces of the boy. If anything happened to him, it would be a disaster.


    "Zi Chang, We''ll split into two groups now; you lead five people in that direction and search!" The man wasn''t asking, this was an order.


    The man known as Zi Chang nodded with haste and followed the orders. He was a tall bald man with very small eyes. He seemed to possess some authority among this group as five men instantly split from the group to follow him after he waved.


    The man at the center was about to issue another salvo of commands whenloud noises eruptedfrom the group which just left.


    "Young head!"


    The man''s face twisted before hedarted in the direction of the voice.

 Chapter 8

    "Young head!"


    After hearing this sound, the brown-haired, intimidating middle-aged man sprinted towards the group of men.


    They had left for only about twenty seconds, so they had yet to go very far. It only took the anxious man the time to light incense to reach them. When he arrived, the six men were staring at a young man, horrified.


    The young man was completely recovered in blood from head to toe. His clothes were in a mess; they were torn in several places as if ripped by claws. Looking at the boy''s reddened spear it was obvious he had been fighting some sort of beast.


    "Young head!" The bald looking man known as Zi Chang calmed down and finallyrushedto examine his injuries. However, he soon was relievedafterhe determined that the boy didn''t suffer any kind of harm.


    "Please excuse my rudeness, young head, we..." Zi Chang was interrupted by thesound of impending footsteps.


    The men gathered in front, bowed and opened a path for the newcomer. The man didn''t even bother to look at them, his vision was entirely focused on the boy. His temples were narrowed and his teeth were rubbing against each other. His fists were also clenched as he walked towards the lad.


    "Father!" The young man gulped as he noticed who the man coming was. He was a bit uneasy and his face showed traces of fear. At long last, when the man he called fatherarrived, he said in a hurry: "Sorry, I won''t do it again."


    The man dismissed the boy''s words and simply hugged him while muttering: "You got me worried sick you brat."


    "Sorry..." Theboy who was, in fact, Zi Ming couldn''t think of anything else to say. He didn''t intend to cause trouble for this group of people. Now even his usually proud father was about to cry in front of his men.


    Above all, he felt a mixture of warmth and shame for his actions. It felt like he had returned to being a mischievous six-year-old kid.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "Wuwu!"


    All of a sudden, cute barks resounded nearby. The men were caught off guard.


    "A pup?" Zi Chang and Zi Tao stared at each other in wonder. As they were about to move someonesaid:


    "Don''t bother, it''s my new friend being a bit shy."


    Zi Ming immediately let go of his father and proceeded to walk in the direction of a bush. He retrieved something from it and placed it at his feet.


    "This is..." The men werestaring at a ball of black fur. It was wagging a cute tail but its head was a bit down as it looked back at them curiously.


    "My new pet." Zi Ming didn''t want to get into the details. There was too much to explain and too much to avoid explaining. Right now, all he wanted to do was eat and sleep.


    The men didn''t question the young man further. Although they wanted to probe, they knew better than to provoke the tall man backing this young genius. If anything, they were more curious about the boy''s lack of injuries.


    On the way back Zi Ming and his father walked several feet behind them and talked in whispers. Zi Ming explained how he fiercelybattledthe group of wolves. His father was listening attentively.


    When the boy started to recount how he was ambushed, the man was angry. He wished he was present so he could slaughter one by one this impudent group of beasts with his own hands.


    As the narration continued, Zi Tao was impressed by the craftiness and determination of his young scion. Hemanaged tofight with such calmanddevise suchcrafty maneuvers that the group of wolves found themselves helpless.


    After this long and tiring battle, his son was alsoable to create a safe escape route. Worry was soon replaced with pride on his face.


    He knew his son was capable, but he had no clue how much until today. Still, some details of the story were fishy. As he thought of these issues, helooked at the terrible stateof the boy''s clothes and thought: "Thisboy is clearly hiding things from me."


    He shook his head and sighed.


    "No matter, as long as he''s fine..." Zi Tao was thinking. "Myfamily will finally be able to flourish several years from now."


    He had heard strange stories about all sorts of genius in his young years.


    He even had gone to the main clan and seen incredible experts. His grandfather who was originallycoming from the cityhad already warned his descendants about the vastness of the sky.


    As long as his son was steadily growing stronger, he wouldn''task him too many questions.


    "You better get ready for a scolding when we get home. Your mother and sister are probably about to die from worry as we speak, young man."


    Zi Tao laughed and said.

 Chapter 9

    It had been a week since Zi Ming had come back from his trip to the forest.


    That night he returned home, his mother and sister started crying as soon as he entered the living room.


    For several minutes, Zi Ming kept apologizing and calming them down, but the tears kept falling like a torrential downpour.


    He was feeling a mixture of guilt, embarrassment, and joy. Lately, his parents had become engrossed in his sister''s training. Not that he felt like it was unfair, but he felt excluded and lonely.


    At times like these, he would generally hang out with the mischievous lass, but she was too busy trying to "surpass her brother".


    Zi Ming was relishing this unexpected show of warmth and familial love.


    However, it didn''t last as long as he needed it to...As soon as the two most important womeninhis lifecaught sight of the cute black pup hidden behind his legs, they shifted all their attention to it.


    .......................................................................


    "Cling!"


    "Ka...Slash!"


    "Bang!"


    Sounds of hard metal clashing were resounding at the center of the village. It was an early afternoon in the Zi Clan today.


    All the villagers had gathered to witness the exchange between two youngsters.


    "Congratulations, Clan head for having a bright successor!" A tall bald man wearing sleaves suddenly praised to the man walking to his side.


    Zi Tao nodded with a bright smile in response, before he looked up at the snowy stone platform. On it, two teenagers were standing apart from each other.


    On the left side, a black-hairedboywas holding a sturdy spear by one hand. On the right, a purple-haired, black-clothed younglady was lifting a two-handed saber.


    "Big sister Fei, don''t lose to that heavy-handed brute!"


    Another girl at the side of the arena was shouting. The lass was holding a dark-furred small animal while screaming all sorts of abuses towards theboy.


    The young man who was guarding against his opponent frowned at the girl''s words.


    "Wuwu!"


    The pup who was previously behaved also grew excited. He jumped down from the embrace and began to bark at the lass.


    "This..." The girl was flabbergasted. She smiled with gritted teeth as she looked towards the creature and said: "Good pup, good owner...!"


    "Pfft!" A beautiful woman watching the events unfold from a balcony tittered.


    The villagers also burst out in laughter as the battle was reaching its climax.


    "Young head! Please forgive my rudeness." The saber-holding girl said before she swiftly made her assault.


    "How many times will I have to tell you not to use this type of sp-...." He couldn''tfinish the sentence as he had to prevent her from occupyingany advantage.


    "This battlecrazedwoman..." The young man whispered in silence.


    Her attacks only grew quicker after each clash.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    The battling youngsters were of course Zi Ming and Zi Fei; the two strongest in the current young generation. Two days after Zi Ming left the mountain, he experienced a new breakthrough in his cultivation.


    His parents were perplexed by this situation. As far as they knew, his cultivation shouldn''t have been able to advance again before years. Still, they were overjoyed, and Zi Taodisclosed thisfortunatecircumstance to the clansmen.


    With his son''s current cultivation, he was ninety percent sure he would get selected by the main clan.


    If he was able to send both his children and Zi Fei over there, he was sure to get handsome rewards for raising three talented seedlings and contributing to the Zi Clan''s rise. If he was lucky, he could even get the village to be officially affiliated and protected by the main clan. This small Zi mountain village could then prosper and he would finally be able totend to his own personal matters.


    That deadly beast...just needed to wait a bit longer for him. His dream of finding the cruelanimal and personally taking revengefor his parentswouldn''t seem like fantasy anymore.


    Today, Zi Tao was only putting his son newly gained skills to the test. Zi Tao didn''t want to admit it, but the opponent was a full-fledged genius; the kind living in these distant and fearfulcities. With the same level of resources as his children, he had no doubt she would be even stronger. Every few months, he could only provide hisfamily withone or two-year-old spirit grasses but it was still better than nothing.


    "Cling! Bang!"


    Zi Fei''s attacks became more relentless. After getting a clear idea of Zi Ming''s strength, she didn''t keep any hand whatsoever.


    "Beat him blue, sister Fei!"This sudden flare immediately made Zi Yurou delighted.


    It was also the first time for some of the villagers to see the young woman erupt in such an intense manner. The usually calm and collected girl was acting quite different from normal. The way she battled was still exquisite and tasteful, but it was also fierce and unrestrained. She definitely was takingthefight seriously.


    "Young head seems to be in a lock." One of the men who previously came to Zi Ming''s rescue said.


    "Anyone would be under such a barrage of attacks. I''m not confident in blocking these even at my age." Another analyzed in response.


    "..." Zi Tao had to admit that the youngwoman was overbearing. She was at the body refinement level six as well, but her moves were highly different from Zi Ming. The poor bloke was indeed crafty but he was still inexperienced. The divide between the early and late stage wasn''t easily surmountable.


    The boy kept retreating in defeat faced with the rain of sword attacks. Zi Fei''s reflexes and deftness were a cut above to Zi Tao''s eye. At the current rate, it wouldn''t be too long before Zi Ming lost focus and made a mistake.


    The other onlookers seemed to share the same train of thought as theytalked among themselves. Perhaps beside Zi Ming himself, everyone was expecting him to suffer defeat any minute.


    In fact, Zi Tao''s analysis wasn''t too far fetched. The detail he missed was that his son''s mind was already wandering elsewhere. Right now his eyes were stuck on the nearby beast wagging its tail, tongue out and saliva dripping.


    ........................................................................


    "This is..."


    Three days ago, Zi Ming was striking wooden dummies when something odd occurred.


    He had been pondering over what went down in the forest and still couldn''t find any answers. After his injuries healed, not only did his strength recover, but it also appeared to have grown.


    But that day, as he was training, he suddenly felt the removal of a bottleneck. Feeling energized, he punched and lifted weights for three hours longer than normal, when he suddenly experienced a breakthrough.


    He had reached the body refinement level six in just one body quenching session!


    He proceeded to seat in stupefaction and puzzlement under the snowy backyard forhalf an hour. He didn''t remember hearing about such a strange condition no matter how he tried to remember. He wasn''t sick or experiencing cultivation deviation, so it had to be something else...


    .............................................................................................


    "I still haven''t thought up a name for that little guy..."


    Back on the arena, Zi Ming''s lips curved upwards as he parried anotherstormof violent blows. He was remembering that on the same day, he took the little beast under his arm and rushed to the library.


    "Maybe looking for answers isn''t necessarily a good thing..." Zi Ming finally decided to acceptthisirrational stroke of luck.


    "Wuwu!"


    The black pup who didn''t know what he was thinking suddenly barked in panic.


    Zi Ming who wasn''t focused on the fight regained his senses. Zi Fei''s saber was about to connect with his fingers and severely impair him.


    "Cling!"


    "Huh?" Zi Tao who was rushing to stop the fight halted.


    "What happened?" The villagers were looking towards the stage in shock and incomprehension.


    "....Young he...Zi Ming wins!" Zi Chang announced the result with difficulty as he waved his hand to signal the end of the exchange. The scene he was currently staring at left him too unexpected.


    Zi Ming withdrew the edge of the spear from his opponent''s throat and bowed towards the audience.


    "You owe me a gracious gift now sister Fei." Zi Ming spoke with a hint of malice as he looked toward this girl''s front area.


    "What''s that rascal saying over there?" Zi Tao looked at the scene and frowned.

 Chapter 10

    Zi Ming didn''t sleep the night after the fight. He was recalling the events that happened yesterday.


    His parents had prepared a hearty meal in order to congratulate him for his victory. His father went so far as to hold a banquet for the villagers. He made a big sounding speech about the pride he felt for being gifted with such a fierce new generation.


    "My dear people. It''s been more than two hundred winters since our ancestors decided to build this humble village we call home. In these two centuries, we''ve had to face all sorts ofhazards and griefs, but we remain standing!


    The years when we had to live in fear of the beasts and die from hunger are coming to an end.


    When our ancestors decided to leave the bustle of cities and sacrifice sweat, blood, and tears, it was all for this very moment..."


    Zi Tao looked towards a group ofteenagers with a grin. The villagers who were also beaming in understanding shifted their gaze towards them.


    "Yes! as you''ve probably already guessed and heard, we''ve finally entered the eyes of the people from the city."


    Zi Tao laughed heartily as he gulped a big cup of wine. He then signaled a bald man sitting by his side. The latter stood up as Zi Tao put a hand on his shoulder and offered him a drink.


    "Zi Chang here isleading my young sister back from Thousand Rains townseveral days from now. Each and every one of us has to be ready for the special day..."


    Zi Ming was listening with one hear tohis father''s long-winded speech. Since he heard about his aunt Zi Qian''s marriage, he had never been too keen on welcoming the group of distant relatives who previously shunned his ancestor.


    He had been pushing himself hard in order to meet his father''s requirements. His strength had rapidlyrisen and he had been able to defeat the young lady sitting next to him.


    As he laid back a bit and finally relaxed fromtheexhausting five months, he glanced at her and smirked. Tonight, Zi Fei was strikingly beautiful. She was adorned with an entire set of black leather clothes and grey wolf scarfskin. It wasn''t as if he hadfailed to notice her charm before, but he had to concede about her recent growth spurt in certain areas.


    She was talking in whispers with his sister when their eyes met. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Zi Yurou decided to butt in.


    "You two are acting suspiciously. Is it a staring contest?" Thethree of them were seated in line with Zi Fei in the middle.


    Whenher friend turned and gazed at the boy, Zi Yurou didn''t think much of it at first. But as seconds passed by she decided to look over.


    Zi Ming who was still in a teasing mood simply snickered and answered :


    "Kind of, we were playing this new game called..."


    "Hefondled my breasts." Zi Fei let out this bomb as she darkly looked at him.


    "What? I''m not sure I heard you right..." Zi Yurou asked again.


    "He also kissed me." Zi Fei added calmly.


    "What?!" When Zi Mingbegan towalk away, Zi Yurou realized it wasn''t a joke.


    "You beast!!"If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The boy''s face became green as he heard these last words. If he stayed too long here he would end up as pig''s meat.


    The terrible blare finally caught the attention of the whole plaza. Zi Tao who was still handing out commands and instructions also turned to look. The place was very silent all of a sudden.


    Zi Fei noticed this but somehow she felt like she had lost something precious to the bastard. Her heart was sour, but for some reason, she was even more annoyedat herself. By this point, the youngster had already stopped running; he was looking at her with pleading eyes and a guilty frown. Seeing this troublesome face, she grew even more bitter as she continued.


    "Sister Yurou, I''ve always considered you as my own sister..." She hesitated when she saw the number of people listening in.


    "The truth is..."


    She looked at him again and said.


    "It''s already too late to blame anyone... I think my heart has already surrendered!" Zi Fei blushed as she said bravely but thenran from the place in a hurry.


    "What?!" Thepeople instantly erupted with anger.


    .......................................................................................


    Five months ago,


    ThousandRainscity, Inside an overlylarge mansion,


    Water dropswerefalling unceasingly in a pond of water. Fish were jumping in and out of it while a bunch of frogs was croaking and lazying on nenuphars.


    Over this pond of water, a wooden bridge was linking two separate sides of a somewhatsizablegarden. At one of these ends, there were a few gravel slabs extending up to a surmounted wooden terrace. This terrace was running across several rooms and wasoffering a nice view of thissoothing garden.


    Each of these room doors was made of translucent paper built upon polishedframes, and currently, two of these were open in the middle of the wooden deck.


    Inside the room, a group of old and young people was sitting cross-legged except for two women.


    One was sitting close to a middle-aged looking man. The other one sat right next to a young man looking over twenty. His traits seemed to be a mixture of both the people sitting in his front.


    Several other, both old and young looking people were seating at each corner of the room and looking towards the two youngsters.


    The middle-aged man from before was wearing night bluerobes, while the woman sitting at his side was dressed in pale blue. They both had extremely fair features; the man had naturally white looking hair which made him look even more dignified. The woman''s mixture of black hair and blue eyes was fitting extremely well with the clothes she wore.


    This same woman suddenly waved a small fan as an oppressive aura was released and assaulted the girl.


    "Mother, that''s quite enough already." The young man also waved his sleevesand annihilatedtheincoming blast. He then proceeded to put one hand before the girl as a sign ofprotection. His hair was blonde and reached up to his neck. He was clad in red robes butat the moment he looked extremely manly and dashing.


    "..." The woman at his sideremained silent. It looked as if she didn''t even dare to look toward the source of the attack.


    "Feng''er, you''ve completely gone off course! To even rebuke me, your mother? I don''t know what this vixen has done to my poor boy but..." She peered at the scared girl before adding :


    "On this appearance and talent alone, she doesn''t match our Zi Family''s son."


    "Mother!" The young man''stoneintensified.


    "Hmm..." The middle-aged man who hadn''t previously spoken suddenly opened his eyes. His hands were still crossed but as soon as he moved, the entire room grew still.


    Even the previously noisy woman decided tokeep quiet.


    "Father..." The young man stammered.


    "..." The man looked over at the girl, then into the agitated youngster''s eyes before asking:


    "You''ve really decided?"


    The young man made a serious face before nodding.


    "Non-se..." The blue clothed woman tried to scoff but was broken directly.


    "Shut up for me!" A commanding sound shook everyone in the room.


    "But, husband..." The woman wasn''t resigneddespite being flustered.


    "Don''t make me repeat myself..." He said the words extremely calmly, not even glancing at her. The woman trembled before turning quiet.


    "..." The people in the room also had cold sweat running down their backs.


    "Haofeng, when I heard you announced your marriage to the townspeople, I thought it was simply yet another one of your mother''s schemes to find you a suitable partner. I never imagined that the day would come so soon..." The man scratched his chin as he smiled.


    "Since my son has decided, there''s nothing to even add. I won''t go against your wishes..." The man said as a matter of fact.


    "Father..."


    "...."


    The man suddenly walked over and put his fingers on the young woman''s forehead. People in the room were confused but didn''t question his actions.


    ".??!..."


    The manabruptly jolted and withdrew his hand.


    "Y-you...where do you come from?"


    The man''s expression changedas he asked.

 Chapter 11

    Zi Ming had a headache reminiscing about yesterday''s events. He wasn''t able to sleep at all. His sister had chased him relentlessly and beat him up until a bit of the angershe felt was relieved.


    To attest to that, he had bruises all over his face, panda eyes, and cut on the lower lip. It was a funny sight.


    He walked his tired, zombified body to the backyard and started a workoutdespite the pain.


    It wasn''t long before the small wolf passed by. The little guy never slept much and was always looking for fun. Today he had probably woken up before everyone once more. When he saw his master training, he decided to stay and watch.


    The cold didn''t seem to bother the little canine. He sat under a tree surrounded by snow and observed in silence.


    "Heilang, want to join me?"


    Zi Ming asked the black pup. He thought a long time about it and finally chose to call him Zi Heilang. It was a simple and fitting name for the animal. The little guy also seemed to like it.


    "Wu?"


    The pup wasn''t too sure what his master meant. Wild animals generally were smarter than dogs and cats, but they still had problems comprehending human language from the get-go. Zi Mingknew that beasts could cultivate and become smarter, his father told him that pets in the cities could understand human language.


    The wolf seemed to be born not too long ago, plus he had only lived here for a few days so it couldn''t be helped.


    Zi Ming looked at Heilang and thought. So far, he knew he had extreme speed despite his low cultivation level. The wolf was only at body refinement level two, which was quite impressive for a newborn, but still relatively weak. He wanted to test the extent of the wolf''s abilities and see if he had more tricks in his bag. Sparring with it would be a perfect way to find out.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    The wolf didn''t seem to understand Zi Ming''s request, so the latter went to grab a spear. As soon as Zi Ming pointed it at him, Heilangstood up and wagged his tail excitedly.


    "I guess you understand this, huh? Haha..." Zi Ming laughed and got fight ready. "Here I come little guy!"


    The wolf barked and moved like a ghost behind him.


    The two of them battled for several minutes before they stopped. At the end of the exchange, Zi Ming had an overall idea of the wolf''s strength. At the moment, besides good senses and extreme agility, Heilang couldn''t pose a threat to him. The animal had the strength of body refinement level two, but the speed of level five.


    Zi Ming had different expectations but he was also relieved. He suspected the animal had some secret healing power. He wasn''t surehow but he knew his sudden recovery had something to do with him. The first time he met the animal, he licked his wounds.


    "Maybe..." Zi Ming wanted to try something crazy. He didn''t have anything to lose in any case.


    Zi Ming cut his finger with his spear. He put his bloody finger in front of the pup and waited.


    The wolf sniffed for several seconds and then licked.


    "Maybe it was just my imagination..." Zi Ming shook his head and sighed. He looked at the small cut fora momentbut nothing happened.


    However, all of a sudden, the cut started to close itself. In less than ten seconds, the finger seemed to be as good as new.


    "What the hell?" Zi Ming was completely shocked. "Heilang, can you do that again?"


    Zi Ming tried the experiment once more and wasn''t disappointed. He also let the animal lick his face but besides the cut on his lip, the bruises didn''t seem to disappear.


    "Maybe it only workswith small cuts?" Zi Mingthought, but then he quickly dismissed this theory. When he was in the forest he had extremely severe wounds and bruises, but he was somehow healed back in top form.


    "It seems as if this little guy likes blood...let me think, let me..." An absurd idea struck Zi Ming''s mind.


    "I hope, I''m not thinking this wrong, otherwise I canbidfarewell to this lady-killer face..."


    Zi Ming dangerously placed the spear on his face and cut. The crimson liquid flowed out from his cheek. The pain wasn''t extreme but it was doubled at the location of the bruise.


    "Wuwu..." The little guy was starting to worry.


    "Sorry Heilang, I won''t be so rash next time." Zi Ming approached and said.


    The cut was bigger than the previous wounds. Heilang hurried to lick as he also realized that he could heal Zi Ming. In the span of half a minute, the wound closed and the bruise also disappeared.


    "Hmm...As I thought." Zi Ming touched his cheek and said. He glanced atthe pup and asked.


    "Heilang, do you like blood perhaps?"

 Chapter 12

    Somewhere in a forest filled with coniferous trees,


    The golden and scarlet hue of crisp leaves created a harmonious contrast with the snow-covered bumpy path.Birds with black and white plumage were flapping their wings to leave nests, trees, and path at the sound of approaching cavalry.


    The scout of this group was a bald man dressed in a black tunic. Behind him followed about twenty men and women on horseback, armed to the teeth and encircling a bronze looking carriage.


    The youngest members of this group wore reddish-brown armor with black epaulets. The two oldest were a man and a woman. The latter just wore silky,sparklingand milky coloredrobes. Unlike the rest of the group, these twoweren''t mounting horses. They stood on top of the shaking carriage, visibly not affected by its instability.


    <div>


    The woman looked away from the landscape and raised her voice to speak to the bald man in front of the troop, whilethe man next to her wasstill focused on some sort of rectangular paper. He brieflyglanced in her direction before he studiously went back tohis thoughts.


    "Mister Chang, how close are we now?"


    "We''re only two hundred li away according to my calculations, miss..." The bald man answered hurriedlybut finished his sentence with hesitation.


    "Elder Muyue, address me as such." The woman said nonchalantly.


    "Yes...I mean yes elder Muyue." The bald man nodded respectfully.


    A derisory voice echoed from inside the coach at that moment.


    "Big cousin, you''llnever be able to attract suitorsif you continue to behave in this way.


    You should try to act more informally from time to time, the eyes of the townspeople are not on us in this countryside. "


    "Whowould want to marry a country bumpkin? Mind your own business, you punk." The woman snorted and replied mockingly.


    "You shouldn''t underestimate country bumpkins." The man who wasn''t speaking previously said. He stretched his limbs before pointing at their feet.


    "...Hmph, whatever." The woman was reminded of something that happened in the clan five months ago. She didn''t speak further and sat obediently.


    "Uncle Muyun, I asked you before but why did fatherwant you to come with us personally on this trip?"


    "That''s something I''m still not sure I can say out loud..." The man frowned before looking around and replying. "Let us arrive before we talk about this."


    "Sure." The man inside the carriage didn''t inquire further.


    "Haofeng, have we arrived yet?" The woman leaning on him inside the carriage woke up before asking.


    "You''re finally awake sleeping beauty." The man called Haofeng kissed her on the forehead and arranged her hair.


    "Whendid that crying brat even learn to pick up women?..." The woman on top of the carriagefrowned as she whispered. "At this rate, I''ll be babysitting stinkynippers next year..."


    "..."


    The man glimpsedat her not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He shook his head and exhaled a long sigh beforeonce again lookingat the dusty piece of paper in his hand.


    .........................................................................................


    Back at Zi Village,


    Zi Fei was talking with a group of guards. It was early morning, so the back of the village was exceptionally quiet. The torches were still lit and beside people watching the gates or sweeping the snow, most people were still sleeping.


    Footsteps approached the gates. The guards looked in a curious and laid-back manner in that direction, but noticing the appearance of the person slowly drawing near, the guardssnapped out of their daze and resumed their respective positions.


    "Good morning, young head!" One of the closest guards to the young man said.


    "Hmm...hello Duotian." Zi Ming replied politely.


    Each and every one of these guards were people Zi Ming had grown with or played with when they were young. Nowadays, most of them were already married and had their own families.


    Zi Ming was a mischievous and very popularyoungster, but most of them were recently reminded that he wasn''t anyone to be trifled with. Not only was he the son of the village head, but he was also the most outstanding teenager around.


    Usually, when Zi Ming came, these people wouldgreet him casually and tell him jokes. But he realized that their attitudes somehow changed. He understood why but he couldn''t help it. He didn''t have time to hang around with these men and women anymore. Very soon, he would have to leave the mountains.


    "Zi Fei, Iwish to talkwith you alone for a moment. Do you have a minute?" Zi Ming asked the purple hair guard at his right.


    "...Sure." The woman blushed and replied. "Duotian, cover for me."


    "Huh?! O-okay.." The young guard in front of her took her position and watched them leave with some curiosity.


    The rest of the guards also finally stopped acting and looked at the boy and girl walking in the distance.


    "Ten hours of shift on young head not being able to seal the deal!" One of themen on top of the wall bet out of nowhere.


    "What would you know? Zi Yong, we all know you had views onZi Fei for the longest time. I bet thirty hours onbrother Mingbeing able to melt her heart in one go this time." Another woman said confidently.


    The group of guards went wild.


    At the other end of this place, in a small alley, Zi Ming was having trouble dealing with some veryoldbut foreignmatters to the majority of men.

 Chapter 13

    "Do you really have to go?" A man asked. Behind him were a woman and two children.


    "Mubai..." The man took one last glance at the person standing at the gates. His expression was one of gratitude but hidden traces of bitterness could be seen behind the smiley mask he put on. the latter''s pupils were extremely small despite his apparent youth. Someone had to look very close in order to notice that this man perhaps wasn''t even thirty.


    The man''s back was also twisted because of the huge woodentrunkhe was carrying. At that moment, he looked like a monk leaving for a long and perilous dispatch against the forces of evil.


    "You and I will always be friends, whether in this life or the next. I''m grateful for what you''ve done for me and my family all these years, but some things are just not meant to be." This time he stared at the sky before he followed:


    "Say, what do you see when you look at these clouds?"


    The man called Mubai was perplexed but he gazed upwards as well before replying in a nostalgic tone:


    "What can I see? Baishang isn''t this spot the exact place where you and I first met? That year when you came from the countryside, I would have never imagined we would end up as friends. You really did me a number that day didn''t you?


    The me who had never lost any fight before had to lay here and stare at the stars for several hours..." He finished with a chuckle.


    The man called Baishang still didn''t turn his back and continued to ask:


    "Then what happened the next year?"


    "Huh?.." The one named Mubai couldn''t understand where his friend was trying to go with this query. He sighed and continued to reply to question after question when his face finally turned stern at the realization of something.


    "You understand it now, don''t you Mubai?" The man turned and smiled brightly.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "I''m sorry I have to be the one to break our promise, but I can''t remain in this place any longer."


    "Baishang..."


    The man called Baishang waved goodbye to the people behind his friend and walked down the hill in a serene but lonely manner.


    "Wait!"


    Baishang stopped in his footsteps. He was preparing to say something as he opened his small eyes for the first time when something was thrown over to him.


    "...?!" He caught what seemed to be a small turquoise red stone and stared at the other man in the distance in wonder.


    "Isn''t that?..."


    The man called Mubai nodded before whispering a few words. There had to be around six hundred chi between them but Baishang could hear clearly:


    "...I haven''t figured out what it is since the last time we dug it. I hope it can bring you a good fortune..."


    Baishang looked meaningfully at his friend for some time then left in silence...


    .........................................................................................................


    "Husband...husband!" An insistent voicewas calling a man.


    The man in question was sitting in front of a wooden table covered with candles. Above this table was the painting of a man who looked strangely like him.


    "Husband!..." The voice grew more insistent until the man finally snapped out of a state of dazed prayer.


    "Meng An... What is it?"


    Behind this man, a woman was standing at the door. Sheappeared somewhat flustered when the man finally talked but she clenched her teeth and said:


    "Why did you have to send brother Muyun along with the children?" She asked in a very curious tone before she followed with a little more anger:


    "I hope you''re not hiding anything from me. You know Haofeng..."


    "What if I am?" The man asked coldly.


    "This..." The woman''s face became pale. "Husband, I''m only looking out for our chi..."


    "All you have done in those years is but hamper the growth of our children.


    You only have eyes for our eldest and look at the state in which our younger generation is at present. Apart from Haofeng and Muyue, the clan has only declined in the middle of this group of vipers.


    I''ll tell you the truth, this marriage can only do good to our boy and I would go even further.If you dare to usethatfather of yours to intervene again in my business, beware..."


    At the words, A white cloud started to form at the top of his head.


    "Crr...!"


    An electric noise also echoed through the room.


    "Am I clear enough?" The man got up and stared menacingly at the woman.


    "....Husband." Contrary to what one would expect, the woman didn''t flinch. Shewatched the man with acrazed look of fervor before she entered and closed the door.


    Several seconds later, moans could be heard across the hall hiding this room.

 Chapter 14

    Zi Chang and company continued to cross the forest till the end of the afternoon.When they finally arrived, they were welcomed by a long deforested hill.


    On each side of the ascent, rows of leafless trees greeted the visitorsoncarpets of dusky grass.At the other end of this slope, onecould seesturdywooden rampartsand smoke rising in the air.


    "We''ve made it in time!"


    Zi Chang looked at the state of the sky. The sun had yet to completely set as it was late afternoon.


    "Not what we would need to worry about beasts with thisfrightening elder..." Zi Chang glanced at the woman standing on top of the carriage while thinking.


    A short shiver passed through his spine as he recalled the terrifying display of strength this woman made whentheystumbled uponone audacious group of ruffians.


    "Fortunately, these peopleare only coming to discuss wedlock." Zi Chang sighed and tugged on the reins of his horse to slow it down.


    "I think we might have arrived..."The woman standing above the coach looked at the middle-aged man sitting on her right. He was sleeping soundly,arms crossed and head reclined in his chest. Whenever she tried towake him up the latter would unconsciously grab her hands and push them away.


    "We didn''t need this geezer here in any case..."


    The womanshrugged before she jumped down andran up to the bald man in front.


    .................................................................................................................


    Forty minutes later, the entrance to the village was crowded with people. After hearing the news, Zi Tao, who wassupervisinghis daughter''s training rushed to meet the visitors. He had waited and prepared this moment for so long; he would do everything to leave a good impression on that powerful and influential group of strangers.


    "Big Brother! I missed you so much!How has sister Lan been doing?"


    The young woman asked a thousand and one questions simultaneously. At that moment, the group of villagers smiled innocently, reminding themselves of the presence of this naive young lady.


    As usual, this radiant and pleasant girl stuck to her rigorous big brother like a pot of glue. For themost accustomed, this loquacious scene wouldn''t seem unusual.


    This was the casefor Zi Chang, however, the latter had traveled with this group of people. Hehad gottenenough time to form rather concreteclues concerningthe terror and confusion that thesepeople werecapable to createwhen disrespected.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.In this case,most of them probably heard about Zi TaofromZi Qian. Butthey probably did not know what that "big brother" of hers was supposedto look like.


    "Qian''er, this perhaps is not too appropriate ..." He looked towards the group ofarmedattendants who began to crinkle and whisper.


    Zi Qian immediatelynoticed the embarrassing situation in which she plunged the two groups. She hurriedly explained the state of affairs before the village chief could introduce himself.


    "This man is my brother and village head, Zi Tao."Zi Qian introduced the different peoplehere to each other.


    "I''m very honored to finally make your acquaintance, please let me guide you to your own personal quarters. The sun has yet to set, but you''re probably in need of some rest after this uncomfortable journey."Zi Tao said with an affable butbootlicking smile.


    "Hmm, sorry for the inconvenience." Zi Muyun nodded in approval of Zi Tao''s treatment.


    Zi Muyue who was just right by had a marvelous expression.


    "So we finally meet, brother in law!"A young man in a beautiful red tunic approached and took Zi Tao in his arms. His yellow poppy mane met the ears of the man of great size.


    Zi Tao did not believe his eyes or ears at that time.


    "My name is Zi Haofeng, call me young brother Haofeng in the future." The young man said afterwithdrawing from the embrace andtapping on Zi Tao''s shoulders.


    "Young master ..." Zi Tao said reflexively. He never expected for this young man he had been waiting for so long to actually be so refreshing.


    After a long bargain, Zi Tao finally accepted to change the way he addressed Zi Haofeng. The group laughed and joked around with each other before the village head proposed to lead them to their resting places.


    Zi Chang who helped bring this group of people back to the village was heavily rewarded by both parties. Even the cold and quiet elder Muyue decided to be generous with him and promised to impart the man with some cultivation resources and pills.


    When the villagerswitnessed this womantakeobjects out of nowhere they gasped in astonishment.


    "What sorcery is this?" Some of them began to whisper among each other.


    Zi Ming and Zi Fei were currently holding hands and walking in circles around the village walls. When they heard the commotion, they decided to return and see what was going on.

 Chapter 15

    Zi Tao was doing his best to keep the villagers calm. After Zi Muyue started taking objects out of a mysterious ring, the townsfolk started to crowd around the city woman.


    "Say, miss have you reached the martial beginner realm?" The young boys and girls asked innocently. In this world, everyone including children had some entry knowledge concerning cultivation. It wasn''t always necessarily accurate information, however. The kids here had heard many tales from their uneducated parents and all thought that the next realm provided omnipotent abilities.


    Zi Muyue who wasn''t good with children, to begin with, snorted. If simply being in the martial beginner realm allowed one to control the laws of physics she wouldn''t the need the ring on her finger. Sure she''d heard of evildoers born withspace martial spirits but she wasn''t allotted with such ridiculous advantage.


    Still,trying to enlighten this mobof country bumpkins wouldn''t cause harm to anybody.


    She looked at the group of runny nose brats and asked:


    "Ever heard of storage rings?"


    She tried to explain patiently how the artifact worked. But she soon gave up when she realized that thebenightedriffraffwould need more time to process the information she was providing. The children were untaught and the adultsboorishfor the most. Most of these people had never seen martial spirits, so advanced items such as storage rings were probably too hard to conceptualize.


    "Storage rings" or "storage pendants" werespiritualtools.Thoseaccessories wereused to store all sorts of objects and weapons as the name suggested. Zi Muyue wasn''t sure how the object wasproduced but she knew that no one in Thousand Rains town was capable ofcraftingone.


    She could probably count the number of people with such an item in the city. Only the privileged and powerful were able to secure and protect articles obtainedfrom auctions after all.


    "Mr. Chang, I think it''s time to callit a day." Zi Muyuesaid as she suddenly felt her fleeting disposition to entertain therustic mountain dwellers sap. She became accustomed to giving commands to this quick-witted man during their travel. As a man, he couldn''t qualify to even enter her eyes. He wasn''t strong but he was an efficient minion; fearful but also useful.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Zi Chang who didn''t need to be hinted twice hurried to disperse the uncouth group of hunters after whispering a few words to his boss who nodded in approval.


    The latter proposed tothe visitors to follow him when he noticed the arrival of two youngsters from outside the gates.


    Zi Tao was nervous and excited due to the arrival of the strangers. His mood and feelingswere already in a mess so he stayed after noticingtheunconventional way these two youngsters entered.


    "Big brother, what''s the matter?" Zi Qian asked as she also turned to look in the direction he faced.


    At that moment, most of the villagers had already left the place. When the group of youngsters arrived, they saw the bronze carriage, the horses and the group of armed men.


    "What''s going on here?" The young man who just arrived inquired with a prudent tone. He was holding the hand of a very pretty young girl.


    "Ming''er!" Zi Qian was finally able to make out the traits of the boy.


    "Who''s that?" The man at her side grew somewhat curious after noticing the expression on her face.


    "Huh?" The two elders and the group of retainers also stopped walking. They stared at the boy and girl for a moment before looking towards Zi Qian.


    Zi Ming was overjoyed after hearing that familiar voice.


    "Little aunt!" He exclaimed pleasantly.


    Zi Ming wanted to rush and hug the womanwhen he noticed theelegant and dignified man at her side.


    "Is that?..." Zi Ming had pictured this infamous young master Haofeng for several months. He wasn''t sure but had a feeling that it was this young man at present.


    "You two come and greet our visitors in a hurry!" Zi Tao broke the silence before his son could make up his mind.


    Zi Ming snapped out of his daze instantly. He still had yet to let go of Zi Fei''s hand at that moment.


    Thepurple-haired girl was feeling somewhat apprehensive. She was smart and had already realized who these people were.


    She knew she wasn''t doing anything wrong,but Zi Ming''s father had been awaiting thisjuncturefor a long time; she didn''t want to attract unneeded attention on her or cause problems. However, in the current situation, the two of them were the center of attention.


    Zi Ming and Zi Fei walked together toward his aunt and her fianc¨¦. The two of them were at the back of the group and only protected by several guards at this moment.


    After Zi Ming had shoutedhis aunt''s nickname, Zi Haofeng and his attendants had relaxed.Nevertheless, to Zi Ming and the young girl at his side, this group of people didn''t appear less daunting.

 Chapter 16

    "Is this your son, Mr. Tao?" Zi Muyun looked curiously at the two youngsters walking their way and asked.


    "Huh? Yes, your excellency..." Zi Tao hurriedly replied. He wanted to brag a bit about his son''s achievements, but there would be another opportunity later. He knew the people were tired now. Tomorrow, however, he would do his best to flaunt the talents of his group of seedlings.


    Zi Muyun grazed his beard for a moment, his eyes were focused on the two newcomers. As Zi Ming and Zi Fei made their way towards his aunt and her husband to be, the middle-aged man probed them from head to toe. A few seconds later his eyes shone with an understanding ray of light.


    "Interesting..." The man said in a somewhat slow and almost inaudible voice.


    "Hmm, not too bad..." Zi Muyue smiled in agreement with the assessment. The boredom she was feeling previously seemed to fade away.


    "Haofeng, this is my nephew, Zi Ming, and his...girlfriend?" Zi Qian was introducing the young boy to her betrothed. She wasn''t sure how to interpret the relationship between him and the young girl he held hands with.


    When Zi Fei blushed demurely but didn''t correct her, Zi Qian instantly made sense of the situation. She smiled kindly as she gave way for her fianc¨¦ :


    "Nice to meet you, young master Haofeng." The two youngsters bowed in unison and said.


    "Haha, no need for such formalities. Just call me big brother Haofeng. I don''t think our ages are that far apart." Zi Haofeng grinned before continuing, "Your aunt has told me a lot about you especially Zi Ming. You should be thirteen by now if I''m not mistaken?"


    "Yes, young master...I mean, big brother Haofeng." Zi Ming answered politely. He didn''t expect this man to be this heartfelt. There was no reason to act rudely toward such a person, was there?


    "Haha..." Zi Haofeng patted the boy''s shoulders and laughed loudly. Zi Ming was a bit disconcerted and awkward. Who would have imagined this noble young man to actually be such arowdy fellow? Was that the kind of man that his aunt fancied?


    The group of people continued to mingle for several minutes before they each were guided to their respective quarters. Everyone was too tired to continue to stay at the village entrance any longer, even after the strange actions of Zi Muyun.


    As everyone was prepared to leave, he called the two youngsters. He put his hands on their heads for several seconds and mumbled a few things. The next thing he did was looking at Zi Qian neither in approval nor disapproval before indicating for Zi Tao to keep leading them inside.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Zi Qian who wasn''t unfamiliar with this strange procedure looked at her fianc¨¦ in an interrogating manner. The latter just shrugged. It appeared as if he didn''t know what this was all about either. His uncle''s cultivation was deep and just like his father some of the things he did were unfathomable.


    However as they walked inside the village, Zi Muyue who was just behind the odd middle aged man seemed to hear him mumble:


    "That''s an unusual one..."


    ......................................................................................


    "Well, what do you think?" Zi Ming asked the young girl close by. "They''re nothing like we thought they would be are they?"


    "Hum..." The young girl nodded. "As expected from the young mistress. Looks like she found herself a good man."


    Zi Ming felt a trace of sourness after hearing his girlfriend compliment Zi Haofeng. "Well, he''s twenty-five-year-old. I''ll be even more handsome in a few years." He boasted.


    "I have no doubts." Zi Fei said in a mature but coaxing manner. She knew her boyfriend was jealous. "I''ll also do my best so you won''t grow bored with me." She gently caressed his hair as she finished.


    "Also stop callingmy aunt young mistress already, you''re my girlfriend now..."


    "I''ll try..." Zi Fei replied. "But isn''t that better if..."


    "No argument on this." Zi Ming cut her.


    "Sure." She said with more confidence now.


    "That''s my girl!" Zi Ming searchedfor a deserted and obscure corner close to the entrance, "Let''s continue our previous discussion over there..." then smirked as he led thealluring maiden in that direction.


    "You pervert! Let go..." The young girlwhisperedbashfully as she looked aroundand tried to hide her face.


    .............................................................................


    "Don''t you think you owe me an explanation father?!" Zi Muyueopened the wacky middle-aged man''s door while shouting.


    "It''s you...when are you going to take pity on this poor old man?" Zi Muyun who seemed to be meditating looked at the person who came and said in a sarcastic way. "I need my beauty sleep, come back tomorrow."


    "I won''t budge until you explain to me what you did to those kids from before." Zi Muyue grinned and replied. She crossed her arms and waited for his response.


    Zi Muyun sighed and said: "I was just investigating a few things."


    "What things?" The woman insisted on the last word.


    "Iused to do the same thing to you when you were still a cute little kid, have you already forgotten?"


    "..." Zi Muyue was in no mood to listen to any more antics. She silently stared at the middle-aged man with impatience.


    "Why did you have to growsosimilarto your mother?..." Zi Muyun smiled coyly and continued. "Elder Muyue, seat down and listen."


    The man''s expression turned serious instantly. Zi Muyue''s countenance also changed, theimpishness she showed previously vanished right away.


    "This isn''t really a secret or anything but how many martial apprentices do you know in Thousand Rains town beside me and your uncle?" The man asked his daughter.


    "No one...why?"


    "Correct, but did you ever wonder why it was the case?" He followed.


    "Yes, but how does that relate..."


    "Don''t rush me..." The man grinned before saying.


    "Now concentrate real good and answer this question of mine. I''ll give you one special discount on hugs for this week if you can reply accurately!"


    "..."


    "Before the world nucleus is formed, what is hidden insidea cultivator''s brain?"

 Chapter 17

    Zi Ming slept well that night. The arrival of the hotshots from the city renewed his captivation about power and cultivation. He was especially curious to know what his martial spirit would look like in the future as he went to sleep.


    How powerful andmightywould it be? Would it be similar to these people? How were they? What was even a martial spirit and how did it make someone strong?


    Hearing about things and seeing them in person were two different things, he had such an experience today. He waseager andcuriousto meetothertalentsand face against the cultivation world,havehis personal experiences, form his views,paradigm and even possibly his own "dao".


    Hismind was filled with these numerousquestions and problemsas he was enraptured in the wonderful subject known as cultivation. Would he be able to protect the people he loved and achieve hisobjectives with his own hands? Or would he just end up as another old manrecountingdefeated tales and arguing with young heroes in noisy bars in the end?


    As hefell asleep, he fantasizedabout becoming astrongexpert who traveled the world in an unrestrained manner. He was riding the small wolf who wasn''t so small anymore and fought terrifyingevilin extremely berserk andexotic territories. He flew over a thousand castles and skieswhere hemet great beauties living in celestialgardens producing rivers of wine.


    This marvelous dream would sadly come to a stopwhen Zi Fei jealously pulled his ears to the ground and mind back to reality.


    "...!"


    Someonetook the blanket off his feet without him noticing. Time seemed to pass for what seemed to be seconds before the young man managed to collect somedeterminationand open an eyelidbefore examining the room.


    He lazily opened his eyesthen jerked when herealized who it was. "Yurou?"


    "What are you doing here, birds haven''t even started to chirp!?" Heasked not knowing whether to laugh or cry. The girl was completely clothed in what seemed to be hunting attires. Did she want to go and hunt at this hour?


    "I need to practice with someone. Father is fast asleep right now andMother is... you know."


    "Oh...sure give me a bit, let me wash my face." Zi Ming answered generously.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    There was no way he could ever train this little demon in this cold temperature and this state especially at this hour without some breakfast usually. However, he couldn''t remember the last time she opened her mouth to ask him forsomethingsince "the incident" with her best friendweeksago.


    He would have todeal with this and not take his chances and wait for anotheroccasion to speak with his dear sister. otherwise, he''d probably loseyet anotherchanceto mend their broken relationshipin a long time.


    Accidentally or purposefullylosinga few teethfor some morning forgivenesswas certainly a bad trade. However it would certainly not prevent him to get recruited in the upcoming selection today, would it?


    As for Zi Fei, he would have to explain to her that realmenweren''t about looks after all.


    "What is the morning training for anyway? Don''t tell me you got nerves or something."


    "...Shut up and dress!" The young lady ordered impatiently.


    "Sure, tyrant queen. By the way, about Zi Fei, I''ve told you I''m serious..."


    "Sheesh, you two are already this close aren''t you? Not even calling her sister anymore, huh?"Zi Yurou mocked.


    "Of course, that would be creepy wouldn''t it..."


    "Ugh, I feel like throwing up and Ihaven''t had breakfast yet, shut up!" She kicked the boy''s butt and waited outside the room.


    ...................................................................


    "Oh, you two have come, seat." In the same room, Zi Muyun and his daughter were talking the night before, a young man entered.


    "Uncle." The blonde man stepped inside and paid his respects.


    "Um..." Zi Muyun smiled and offered him a cup of tea that came from god knows where. The latter accepted it gratefully as he took a seat in front of the middle-aged man.


    "How did you sleep?" Zi Muyun started pleasantries when the other person inside cut:


    "Father, this isn''t the time for this. Don''t act as if you don''t know this brat from in and out. We''re both your students after all."


    Zi Muyue interrupted before she also took a seat in a dark corner. She sat crossed leg and closed her eyes, but it didn''t seem as if she was tired. Her skin was clear and her look was sharp.


    "Uncle, I slept well, fortunately. I would usually try and do my best to contradictthis cousin of mine but I''m also very curiousto know aboutthatmatter we mentioned on the road.


    It''s early, but the two of us checked theplace and I don''t think anyone is monitoring...so, if you would maybe, not to sound too impolite..."


    Zi Haofeng''s expression was one of extreme attention. He was the kind of man to get on nerves because he could switch from pitch-perfect student andbachelor to annoying squirrel in the time it took for an incense to lit.


    Zi Muyue could attest to this with assurance, she didn''t know how many faces thisboy sheenjoyed to bully possessed. It was one of the reasons why she used him as walking wooden cardboard to this day.


    "Well, since you two don''t want to wait to find out, I''ll get to the point.


    Beside your marriage, this old man is here to retrieve an object he saw when he was only a kid...."


    "..."


    Theyoung relatives looked at each other before they both decided to ask in amusement :


    "How old is it?"

 Chapter 18

    Later that same day after thecitizens arrived, Zi Ming''s father organized yet another feast. The food he was able to provide probably wasn''tup to their standards but he only cared to show hisobligation and devotion to the clan.


    Zi Haofeng wasn''t too much of a fussypersonso he heartily ate the meal they prepared for them before starting to tell jokes and gossiping with the children about marvels from the big town.


    On the contrary, his cousin didn''t even care to eat anything she was offered. She only ate some dried meat as a show of politeness before indulging in all the reserves of alcohol the village chief had stored for rainy days. Zi Tao wanted to complain but he hung on for the sake of their future, which also included the interests of the child in his wife''s belly right now.


    Yes, in several months, his wife would hopefully birth another genius in the family. "I need to act even more responsible," was what he was telling himself when he witnessed the woman downing another barrel of precious liquor.


    "Mister Tao, I hope you can forgive this useless daughter." Zi Muyun said in an embarrassed tone as he gave the drunkard the eye."That girl is acting up now that we''ve left the city in a long while. She isn''t always like this, I haven''t properly raised her even after so many years, haha."


    The woman who listened snorted and continued to drink in silence.


    "!!" Zi Tao was instantly scared. He got up before bowing in respect as he said:


    "I''m sorry I couldn''t provide better alcohol. This village of mine is poor and run down but as long as it''s for esteemed elders I''ll do my best to please. This is really nothing much, please don''t apologize or I will feel awkward..." A trace of cold sweat was forming once again on his back as he waited for the man to answer.


    "Um." Zi Muyun nodded once more in appreciation. "I was just teasing you. Honestly, I''m very satisfied with the way you''ve been treating us. I''m not as stuck uplike those other clansmen of ours, I know of your difficulties, but..."


    "But...?" Zi Tao felt his stomach turn up. He gulped a big chunk of saliva and looked in the man''s direction.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Zi Muyun''s expression changed before he continued:


    "I think it''s about time we stopped with the pleasantries, isn''t it?"


    The room turned silent. Zi Ming and the others knew better than to open their mouths at that moment. Even the usually wild and unrestrained Zi Haofeng stopped smiling. He only drank one cup of tea solemnly, eyes closed, his expression stern. Everyone understood that he was tacitly approving the words of his uncle.


    Zi Tao sat down slowly not shaking eye contact from Zi Muyun. He wanted to speak but he knew that at this moment he could only decorously wait for the man to continue with his train of thought. It also wasn''t appropriate for him to engage this subject since he didn''t have the upper hand concerning these matters.


    He took one look in direction of his sister as he endured through this coy but crucial industry. The latter gave him a knowing smile but she didn''t risk interfering. Her moist palms were clasping the tissue on her thighs as she waited like everybody else.


    "Don''t be so stiff mister Tao. Truthfully I didn''t hope for much as we made our way here. But I''ve been surprised by the way you raised your children to be so talented. I think I already have a good idea of what you were hoping to achieve by welcoming us with such care. I''ll be straightforward and say that this request of yours is already something I was planning to grant after the first night..."


    "Then...?" Zi Tao was instantly overjoyed.


    "Yes, your son and the other two youngsters are coming back with us this time. Don''t think of it as something you earned. Honestly, I would have probably brought them back along with me without your consent. I consider myself areasonableman, but I can also be selfish at times." Zi Muyun smiled and said bluntly. "Especially that son and daughter of yours, you really have no clue do you?"


    "?? What do you mean sir...?"


    "....Nevermind." Zi Muyun gave a wry smile and shook his head in defeat. "Let''s continue with our celebration, you and I will talk about this matter and something else in more detail later today."


    "Yes, sir!" Zi Tao busied himself, "Someone, bring more liquor over, also food, quickly!" he called for the servants outside. The mansion was turned upside down as the feast went on.


    Zi Ming, Zi Yurou and the rest of them let go of all forms ofnervousnessand indulged in their newfound but unexpected happiness. Things turned out even better than they had all expected and they were apparently highly valued by the main clan. Fortune, especially unexpected was always something people would appreciateeven more than normal.


    Even the pregnant Zi Lan decided toremainlonger and share this moment with everyone. She never imagined in her wildest dreams that things would turn out so well. She caressed her belly and thought about the days ahead while listening to their merry banter.

 Chapter 19

    The feast which began before noon extended till the end of the same afternoon. At the moment the sky was beginning to darken, ravens were croaking and smoke was rising out of huts as people were preparing supper.


    The small committee bash came to a close as Zi Tao and his group of servants led everyone back to their respective resting places. The man who was originally anxious decided to drink away his worries to accompany Zi Muyue.


    He drank as much as his bladder and constitution allowed him to, however; unlike this, unfathomable young elder he wasn''t in the martial beginner realm. The latter didn''t need to worry about food poisoning as she could manipulate magical energy to cleanse any bit of buzz as she kept gushing down more ale. Her father had to intervene and stop the informal contest, otherwise, the poor village chief would probably be embarrassed.


    Zi Haofeng kept riling up the old man who didn''t want to lose face. In this world, no matter how strong women were, drinking was thought to be a man''s job. This was also the reason why Zi Muyun had to butt into this matter and save him from a disastrous defeat. He shook his head in resignation as he looked at this tomboyish daughter of his before calling it a day.


    "This lass needs to get married before next year..." Those were the kind of thoughts crossing the middle-aged man''s mind as he recollected events related to the untamable child. He couldn''t picture her actively seeking for a husband or anyone in the young generation able to manage that fiery temper of hers.


    At that rate, he would probably be three hundred years old before he even saw the trace of any grandchild. Not that he could brag either, as he was originally a cultivation freak himself. Despite how he looked he was more than two hundred years old and his daughter wasn''t even forty yet...


    ...................................................


    Night, Zi Tao''s office,


    "Can I offer you something to drink esteemed elder Muyun?" The polite village chief asked.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "That won''t be necessary, I only have a few questions mister Tao." Zi Muyun replied in a derelict way.


    "Please, ask away." Zi Tao said nervously.


    He had taken a bath as soon as the merrymaking ended but he would probably need another one after this. His back was sweating even more than in the afternoon. Being alone with this man in front of him was somewhat intimidating. Zi Tao didn''t have too many concepts on spiritual strength and magical power, but even with his lack of knowledge, his instincts told him that this man was extremely dangerous.


    "Mister Tao, do you perhaps keep a family book in your office?" Zi Muyun looked around for a bit and asked.


    "Uh?...I mean yes, wh-why?" Zi Tao wasn''t a stupid person. He was a quick thinker and realized something didn''t suit if he was asked this type of question.


    "Relax, mister Tao...I know my question seems a bit strange but there''s something you need to know first." Zi Muyun smiled before rubbing the tip of his nose and continuing in a flaky tone:


    "Mister Tao, perhaps are you interested to know how old this elder is?"


    Zi Tao was taken off guard by this eccentric behavior and coughed to erase any trace of laughter springing upon his face. He closed his eye for half a second with a frown before he regained a clear mind and shook his head as a sign of perplexity.


    Zi Muyun laughed boisterously for what seemed to be an eternity. Zi Tao was completely scared and confused. He only prayed the man wasn''t laughing out of anger.


    "Sorry, I didn''t mean to startle you. It''s just that I''m a bit excited." Zi Muyun took out a handkerchief out of nowhere and wiped a small tear out of his eye.


    "I''m the one who needs to apologize for being so boorish. Please accept my deep...."


    "Now, now, Mister Tao stop with the sycophantic ways. I only came tonight to have a nice talk."


    "Yes...but if I may ask how old are you, sir?" Zi Tao asked curiously. He couldn''t help himself as he also wanted to have an idea of the depth of this man''s cultivation.


    "Who''s Zi Baishang to you?" Zi Muyun suddenly cut him.


    "H-How do you know of my great grandfather?" The man was once more shocked. He thought about it logically for a few moments before he said: "Haha, you almost had me. Esteemed elder heard about this poor old ancestor of mine in the clan''s records, didn''t you? I''m so honored to know you''ve done your research before coming."


    "As I thought..." Zi Muyun''s smile grewa shade brighter than before. He looked at the village chief and said:


    "I think you''re misunderstanding something here, mister Tao."


    "Hm?" This time Zi Tao didn''t assume anything and just waited for him to continue. He felt like he was riding a raging bull but the man kept surprising him again and again.


    "He used to give me and my brother candy."


    "............"

 Chapter 20

    "....Um, sir If I may ask one indiscrete question, but why do you insist on finding that pendant?" Zi Tao asked curiously. The two of them had stayed in the dark office for more than thirty minutes already and just went outside. The story this mysterious elder had told him was quite unexpected. It also happened to resolve some of the questions he and his clansmen had been trying to figure out in the last two centuries.


    If what this man called Zi Muyun claimed was true, his great grandfather, who also happened to be the man who founded this village wasn''t some outcast from the main clan. Rather, the man was once best friends with Zi Mubai the late clan patriarch. For some unknown reason, he decided to leave the city and settle in these mountains. Zi Tao had no idea why his grandfather and father never knew of this part of their ancestor''s life, but he knew that it had to be true. After all, this man called Zi Muyun knew a bit too much concerning the late ancestor.


    It wasn''t common knowledge among the villagers, but the chief knew of some secrets concerning Zi Baishang. When his grandfather died, he had informed his father about some secret stash containing several cultivation techniques and skills. Those could unfortunately only be used by martial beginners, but they were considered as heirlooms and treasures father and son kept.


    This man Zi Muyun didn''t know about the stash but he said something which convinced Zi Tao of the veracity of his tale. Their ancestor was a martial beginner according to a record his grandfather kept. He left the village more than a hundred years ago only for god knows where. His grandfather remembered how he was saved from disaster one day headventured too deep inside the woods. As he was about to die, their ancestor appeared out of nowhere and killed the beast who threatened him.


    His grandfather never forgot what he witnessed behind Zi Baishang''s back that day. The man wasn''t well versed in cultivation but he recognized that transparent thing for what it was in an instant. Maybe it was some sort of cultivator''s sense, but he knew that the gigantic transparent hand he saw wasn''t some sort of spiritual skill or technique. It was encompassing the clearing in which they were and radiating some sort of reassuring feeling that touched strings in his soul.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Zi Tao was never sure if he could take this story seriously. If their ancestor was actually such a strong person why did he have to come and live in these remote parts? Maybe he would still struggle to become a great person back in the city but he could still secure a small yetsure position for himself back in the clan.


    His doubts were unloaded however as Zi Muyun said the next few words: "Your sister seems to possess the same spirit as sir Baishang..."


    So that was how they traced their way back to him he thought...Zi Tao understood. He didn''t notice that the man shared confidential knowledge with him nor did he seem to care. He was too shaken to consider such matters when he made this discovery. As it turned out, this marriage was probably a blessing in disguise, or was it fated by the heavens?


    No way, right? Who were they for the heavens to care about their little outer Zi Clan...He was just grateful that the man in front of him helped clear the name of his ancestor. They weren''t people the clan had gotten rid of after all...


    Happiness came too suddenly in these last few days for Zi Tao to digest it in one go. His children were actually genius grade talents and his ancestor was the clan''s big elder godfather. What was happening?


    Right about now, Zi Tao was faced with another difficulty. He had too much to process and too quickly, but Zi Muyun wanted to make things even more awkward for him. Since the moment he understood that Zi Tao was the descendant of his father''s best friend, he asked him to address him more informally. After all, they were not only linked by some long lost friendship but also by marriage now.


    "According to what you said, your father was the last person who was in possession of it right?" Zi Muyun yawned a little and replied his back turned to Zi Tao.


    "Yes, sir..."


    "Still haven''t dropped the etiquette..oh dear. Let''s not delve on this matter for now." Zi Muyun was frustrated but he changed the subject. "You said your father was attacked by a beast and died alongside his group of friends...perhaps..."


    "Perhaps?..." Zi Tao''s breath was suspended.


    "You...don''t youintend to seek justice for your late father?" Zi Muyun finally turned his back to look at the man behind him as he asked in a reproaching tone.

 Chapter 21

    "BOOM!"


    Early morning, the next day, two people were exchanging blows at the center of the village. One was a young man clad in white clothes. He was huffing and puffing, doing his best to save the little bit of stamina he had left after twenty minutes of intensive sparring.


    His opponent was a black-haired tall woman similarly dressed in white. Her Daoist robes were graciously fluttering with each gesture she made to attack the boy. Contrary to the young man, she appeared extremely relaxed. During this fight, she had yet to take a single defensive stance. She gave the impression of playing with a feeble cat; one completely unable to resist her successive waves of assaults.


    Fortunately, this woman saved her strength and didn''t go all out. This, in turn, allowed her foe to have room to put up one desperate but cute fight.


    Those two people were obviously, Zi Ming and Zi Muyue.


    That day, Ming woke up at the sound of the roosters singing. He was particularly carefree the night before after he knew his dream of going to the city was going to be fulfilled. To celebrate the beginning of his long-awaited cultivation journey, he went and stole some wine as well as atear of liquor inside his father''s secret stash.


    The young man whonever had any alcohol before, drunk till he was completely buzzed. When his sister came to check on him and say goodnight, the lad was already curled up in his sheets. He slept for eight hours straight and as he woke up he decided to get rid of the remaining poisoning substance by training.The Zi Mingwho had never slept for more than five hours after he entered the fourth stage of body refinement realized how careless he had been in underestimating the beverage.


    "Alcohol isn''t called the elixir of immortals for nothing..." He smiled in self-mockery and muttered as he lifted his spear.


    "Wu, wu!" The little Heilang barked in excitement as he came over and jumped on his shoulder.


    Zi Mingstroke him a bit and played with him before starting his training session. He didn''t realize that at this moment someone waswatchinghim train. That person was exactly Zi Muyue.


    This young elder didn''t sleep and didn''t need to. She was taking a small break from her nightly cultivation and decided to stroll around the village for a change of pace. When she came back from thetown square and jumped on the closest roof to her room, she chanced uponthe young man''s actions. No matter how talented Zi Ming was, she would never resort to peeping on the young boy.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    But bored as she was, she decided to stay and examine his stances. Maybe she could understand better why her father had given such a high assessment concerning the children. In any case, those three would eventually become fellow disciples. If she didn''t know any better, she wouldn''t consider the possibility of her father taking this young guy as a legacy disciple. However, according to the current trend, she understood that he could very possibly become her junior brother in the future.


    In the clan, not many clansmen knew of this fact, but the strongest cultivator wasn''t her uncle Zi Wuhen. This Clan head was terrifyingly strong and crafty, still compared with his brother he was still a bit wet behind the ears. The very reason why she never disputed her father''s decisions was due to this even if the acted like a slob half of the time. This Grand elder of the Zi Clan was the strongest person in Thousand Rain town despite hispeculiardemeanor.


    "Swoosh." Zi Muyue restrained her aura to the limit and jumped like a thief on Ming''s rooftop. She sat down and watched with concentration his movements. They were sloppy and wide, but each and every one of them was swift and accurate. She nodded with approval as she examined the muscles on his body.


    "This lad''s foundation is indeed well polished. What a surprise...I wonder what kind of spirit he''s going to awaken once he breaks through to the martial beginner stage." She whispered in thought before she went silent once more.


    "Martial spirits are a cornerstone concerning the fighting ability and style of us cultivators after all. This boy seems extremely suited towards the art of assassination..."


    Martial spirits were divided into eleven grades representing their potential and suitability with the cultivator:


    Mortal, Warrior, Master, Earth, Heaven, King, Emperor, Sage, Immortal, Saint, Divine.


    A mortal grade spirit was the most ordinary type of spirit one could get, whereas a divine grade spirit was only talked of in legends. Zi Muyue herself only awakened a Heaven grade spirit but she was considered to be at the top of the young generation in the country in terms of potential. Sure enough, martial spirits couldn''t represent the complete ability and talent of cultivators, but the higher the grade, the more chances the cultivator had to become an immortal in the future.


    Martial spirits were responsible for filtering and absorbing the energy of heaven and earth for the cultivator. The process of refining energy into lifespan and magic totally depended on people''s own comprehensions. Possessing a high-grade martial spirit was completely irrelevant to battle potential, as different spirits possessed different skills and developed different divine abilities.


    Nevertheless, the usefulness of a good martial spirit was there for everyone to see. No matter how good someone''s comprehension in the Dao was, if they weren''t able to collect energy fast enough, it was all in vain.


    "We still have several days before we go explore that forest father spoke of. Maybe I could use those tohelp this fellow advance a bit faster. This is what junior brothers are for after all..." Zi Muyue showed the trace of a malicious grin as she jumped down from the top of Zi Ming''s house.

 Chapter 22

    Zi Ming was feeling sore all over his body today. It had already been two days since he started training with thatterrifying woman called elder Muyue.


    Each of her attacks was vicious and would either break a bone or tear muscles to pieces. It couldn''t be called sparring at this point; the two of them would wake up before dawn and train forfourhours straight.


    After she was done torturing the poor boy to complete exhaustion she would bring him back from the brink of death by having him eat pills and drink a strange green and gooey mixture.


    He would then proceed to absorb the berserk energy contained inside these medicines until most of his injuries were healed. After he was back tosatisfyingfitness, this unreasonable elder would have him resume his agonizing physical tempering for another hour or two. She beat him even more fiercelyand wouldn''t stop until he was black and blue. Zi Muyue then would leaveafter giving several instructions to him.


    "Don''t let me catch you slacking." The woman would always finish with these words. Her cold and menacing tone always caught him unguarded. Zi Ming was afraid to rest for too longeach time hewent back to his quarters. He wouldkeep in mind the words and fight against his urges to defythe order. Maybe she was watching him, was she?


    The first day, Zi Ming cultivated according to her teachings after a short rest. This was simply done for fear of getting caught. He didn''t dare to imagine what he would have to go through if he got busted trying to weasel his way out of her instructions.


    It was was the first time he¡¯d met such a scary woman. She was beautiful beyond words but even if he tried, the boy couldn''t get a reaction from his ¡°little brother¡± when he pictured her generous shapes in his mind. Let alone fantasizing about her, he was afraid to speak inappropriately to her.


    The second day went as usual, but as he went back to his house and sat down, Ming noticed something odd. The pain he usually felt in his joints seemed to disappear as he began refining the energy in his body. She didn''t pass any type of cultivation technique to him, but only a body refining method consisting ofthree sentences:


    "Breakthe body and exhaust it untilmind strength is formed,"


    "Relax the viscera and meditate as you turn the will into spiritual power,"


    "The day themind overcomes the body, you shallknow who we are..."Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    The mnemonics were simple but Ming thought that they were quite bizarre. Who this "we" was supposed to refer to? However, curious as he may have been, the boy chanted these words in his mind without lamenting. Zi Muyue wouldn''t give him anything ordinary after all.


    As expected, the first signs didn''t take long to show. After his body was maltreated by the woman the second day, the pain went away in a flash as he cultivated in silence.


    After theache vanished, he felt some sort of explosion in his brain, as if something was coming to life for the first time. The minute his head experienced this refreshing feeling that was seeping into his bones and internal organs, Zi Ming sensed something unusual happeningin his lower body.


    "BOOM!"


    Before he couldunderstandwhat was going on in, another change appeared at this time. His internal organs began to absorb the excess medicinal energy. All the accumulated stress at that moment died out.


    Strength, wild strength was flowing inside his blood as it kept transforming his cells and turn his muscles and viscera into steel. Before he could shout out for joy, he broke through the body refinement level seven.


    "What is happening?" Zi Ming was ecstatic. He had reached the upper levels of the body refinement realm in several minutes.


    However, the weird phenomenon had yet to stop. His muscles and skin kept consuming the vitality until a ray of translucent sheen appeared on his arms and legs.


    "Body refinement level seven peak! Muscles and skin turned to iron..."


    "Hmm? What is..."


    The energy stopped fluctuating for a moment. The previous chaotic state his body was didn''t seem to last. As everything seemed to turn calm once more, Zi Ming shook his head and sighed:


    "What am I being so depressed about? I guess I should call it a day and seek that elder to ask for guidance."


    "Shh!"


    "What an atrocious smell, maybe I should go and take a bath first."


    "??" Zi Ming''s shocked expression returned as soon as he looked at his arms. Smoke was coming out of from his pores and his skin was turning red as if charring.


    "Crack!"


    "Wait, that is...don''t tell me,"


    His bones were making a cracking noise. His temperature also seemed to rise to accompany this bizarre occurrence.


    "BOOM!"


    Ming broke through another layer of cultivation again.


    "body refinement level eight, bones and tendons turned to jade!"


    "Haha!" Zi Ming laughed like a madman. The energy was finally consumed buthe couldn''t care less about what happened presently. He had broken through two layers of cultivation in one day!


    In a corner not far away from Zi Ming''s dwelling. A woman was standing on top of a tree and overlookingcalmly the situation.


    "Humph!Kid, if you didn''t break through two levels after what I gave you today, I would have called you a pig."


    She swung her sleeve and grabbed a bottle of pills out of thin air before she grinned:


    "I don''t want to admit it butfather was right in acknowledging the scariness of those country bumpkins. I would have never imagined that this simple bottle of body tempering pills and a low-grade body refining skill could bring about such effects on this boy."


    She pursed her lipsas she began to feel somepity for the malnourished yet heaven-defying little fellow.

 Chapter 23

    After Ming managed to break through two levels of body refinement, his body tempering speed slowed down. Elder Muyue had explained to him that his body had been toughened decentlyover the years but it hadn''t been fed and bolstered as well as it should have been, thus hindering his growth.


    The reason why she had beaten him so savagely the past few days was to unearth this hidden potential that had been accumulating but which had never been stimulated and showered with the required amount of energy. Instead ofbuilding up lifeforce in a steady manner, Ming was counterbalancing the harshness of his training with adequate, yetinsufficientchunks of energy. He was advancing at a fast enoughpacebut he still wasn''t maximizing his momentum.


    The body refinementlevel eight represented Ming''s combined years of sufferings and could be seen as his achievable capacitiesfor his age.


    "Kid, you ought to thank this miss properly and behave like a good junior brother once we get back to the clan." Zi Muyue said with an amused tone. Right now, the two of them were seated on the front porch of his backyard. While he was celebrating his newfound strength and shadow-boxing around the garden, this elder came over before he even went to look for her.


    They discussed his recent advancement and she offered him a logical explanation as to interpret and clarify the reason he made this big leap in his cultivation in such a short time.


    "What do you mean by junior brother,missMuyue?" The lad didn''t comprehendso she decided to expound on the matter:


    "Boy, how would you assess this current cultivation of yours?" She asked with a mischievous smile.


    "...This is a difficult question. According to common knowledge, the body refinement realm is the first step towards immortality. I feel pretty strong but compared to you and the young master, I think I still fall short."


    Zi Ming answered honestly. He didn''t know much concerning the outside world but when he compared himself with the two young monsters who came to the village he knew he wouldn''t reach them before several decades. Cultivation wasn''t as simple as it appeared to be. Zi Muyue had told him that once a person reached the martial beginner realm, it wasn''t enough to rely on absorbing energy in order to advance. A lot of other matters came into the picture, such as talent, willpower and Dao heart.


    Even though he understood what willpower and talent stood for, he wasn''t too sure about this Dao heart notion. He had a bit of knowledge about the "Dao" thanks to the village''s library but other components linked to it were still far-fetched.


    "Good, at least you know your limits. Boy, I think I misjudged you. If I had a little brother I would probably want one like you." ZiMuyue patted his head and ruffled his hair as she told in a warm tone. Her cold and aloof manner was replaced with a morecordial disposition.


    Zi Ming was surprised but he didn''t choose toavoid the show of affection. This woman looked a bit more approachable than before and he couldn''t but marvel at her beautiful face.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "Realistically speaking, I can''t sayyet if you''re comparable to the previous Haofeng and I. At your age, I was already a martial beginner stage one peak..."


    Zi Ming gasped for a second due to shock.


    "But compared to the current Zi generation, you would definitely be able to stand among the top 10." She continued. As she finished her sentence she looked at the sky and sighed. Ming could seea hidden trace of disappointment and frustration inhertraits.


    "Really?" Zi Ming felt better instantly.


    She nodded with a gentle smile in response.


    "I wouldn''t have thought you to be this sociable and diligent in teaching kids, Muyue!" Aclamorous noise sounded over from the right side of the garden.


    "Who?!" Zi Ming got up in a panic as he asked. Only now did he notice that somebody was hiding behind a tree and had probably been listening to most if not all the content of their conversation.


    "Sit down, boy, it''s only an old owl." Muyue said in a dismissive tone. She appeared annoyed and ready to leave.


    "If I knew you were into younger..."


    "BANG!" Zi Muyue had already vanished from the porch when Ming heard a thunderous impact. The wind began to howl and whoosh in his small garden and the trees would soon be uprooted if the brunt had been more brutal.


    When the wind and the dust stopped blocking his field of vision, Zi Ming could see the lady''s fistgrabbed by a man of great stature. The tree thatwas separating the sneakyindividual from the twoof them had been violently smashed, and right now it was reduced to bits and pieces.


    Only at that time did Mingrealizehow much strength this unfathomable lady known as an elder by her clansmen was saving when they sparred.


    "What''s happening here?" As a matter of fact, the commotion had obviously been noticed by the nearby households. Zi Tao who was mourning over theincomprehensibleloss of another jugg of wine rushed as soon as he heard the explosive sound.


    "Who dares to cause trouble in the village at this time? Where are those people from the city, call the village chief at once!"


    Zi Chang who had been heavily rewarded after the long journey from the city had also been alerted while he was proudly patrolling and greeting the villagers. His zealous personality would never allow him to miss thechance to look even better in the eyes of those citizens if he could.


    When he was feeling elated over his popularity but bored, hedecided tocomeand greet elder Muyue in hope of another reward.However, whenthe man was about to reachhis boss''front door he heard a turbulent blast.


    In such a comical manner, more and more people rushed over to Zi Ming''s hut. Each and every one of them was flabbergasted by the scene they were greetedby as they arrivedaround the location.


    Zi Muyun was laughing boisterously while evading and blocking vicious attacks fromhis ferocious daughter. Trees were uprooted and the ground was battered in several places. Before Zi Haofeng came and did his best to stop the fury fromannihilatingthe property, the gardenwas riddled with uncountable holes.


    "This is the strength of immortals?" the villagers were terrified.


    But at this moment, three people werewatchingthis disastrous show of strength with eager looks. Their eyes were shining with a brilliant luster and they couldn''t restrain the demented smilesto creep on their faces. Those three were naturally the three young geniuses of the village. Zi Ming, his sister, andhis girlfriend.


    "I think I may have harvested a lot more than I was originally hoping for by coming to this place." Zi Haofeng looked at these three and shook his head in resignation.


    "Fathermight come to be even more delighted than I am, actually..." The man thought joyfully as hewastryingto wrestle his cousin.

 Chapter 24

    Thelittle skirmish between Zi Muyue and her father had finally ended, but Ming''s quarters were a mess. The damage done to the garden was so severe that not a tree was left standing.


    The trees were uprooted and the soil completely scattered. It was currently winter but instead of displayinga white ground, the boy''s garden was a dirt brown.


    After Zi Muyue was calmed down she realized she went overboard. It was the first time she felt shame so she didn''t know what to do or say. All the eyes of the villagers were on her at the time, so the quick-witted Zi Chang had them disperse.


    Once the villagers were gone, the miss apologized to the village chief and his son. On the inside, Zi Tao was full of blame and accusation but heonce again swallowed his anger and smiled, not daring to accept her apologies.


    Not knowing what to do to get out of this embarrassing situation, Zi Muyue gave the chief a low-grade mortal weapon and some body-quenching ointment. She would have given him some money, but like most cultivators, she didn''t use changeon a daily basis.


    Her father kept laughing as henoddedandbegan rambling:


    "Our daughter has grown up, Cai''ercanyou see? That tomboy is finally turning into a proper human being..."


    She fought the urge to jump him before Zi Haofeng gently scolded his uncle. He knew his cousin¡¯s temper better than anyone and it was better not to spill oil on thefading embersof her wrath. After this whole tussle finished everyonegathered in the living roomto have breakfast.


    When they were all together they would naturally come to talk about cultivation, and as Zi Tao asked questions about the use of thebalm elder Muyue gave him, his new brother in law casually mentioned that it was a peak grade mortal medicine.


    Same as martial spirits, weapons, magical treasures, and medicines were divided intoeleven grades. The lowest being mortal and the highest being the divine stage.


    This ranking system couldn''t be said to bea hundred percent accurate but it was used for most things except money. Unlike spirits, there were treasures that couldn''t be estimated. After a resourceor treasure reached a level higher than the divine one, it was called "legendarytreasure" or "world grade treasure".


    But it wasn''t anything people living in their parts would need to think about. Zi Muyun himself could only buy and keep Mastergrade items with his deep cultivation and resources. Zi Ming had asked about such items once and Zi Muyun couldn''t really explain how they were made since he wasn''t a weaponrefiner.


    He just simply explained how the master grade saber he wielded allowed him to get a fifty percent boost in strength during combat. Besides being sturdier, weapons of different grades offered different benefits to their wielders.


    The breakfast was lively and the children used this opportunity to ask many questions concerning the city. When they finished eating, Zi Muyun got up and called the village chief over.


    "We''ll enter the forest tomorrow morning. Before you go and rest, I''ll help you break through your current shackles."


    "BANG!" Before the poor middle-aged bulky fellow could understand what was happening he heard a deafening noise.


    His skin wasemitting heat as energy surged violently out from his pores. Everyone felt a powerfulblastof wind for an instant before the room returned to its still state.


    "How do you feel?" Zi Muyun smiled knowingly as he yawned and asked.


    "This is?" Zi Ming examined his father for several secondsbefore hefollowed:If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Marrow and blood producelifeforce, Body refinement level nine!"


    "What?!" Zi Chang was the first to react and yell in shock. "Congratulations, Boss!"


    "Haha!" Zi Tao began laughing in self-satisfaction before he kowtowed to elder Muyun.


    "This lowly one owes you and will engrave this favor for the rest of my life."


    It did not take long for the children to do the same and thank the man.


    "Don''t sweat it, this is just a simple trick for this old fox." Zi Muyue interrupted as she snorted. "Old man we have a real business to discuss if you don''t mind." She signaled for Zi Chang to lead the people out.


    As Zi Ming and company were leaving the room under the astuteness of this weasel of a guard chief, Zi Muyun said :


    "You three children stay."


    .................................................................


    Ming was seated in a lotus position between his sister and his girlfriend. The group of three composed of uncle, daughter, and nephew were exchanging words in a small voice. Even with Zi Ming''s enhanced sense of hear and sight, he couldn''t pick up on any of the words their lips were letting out.


    "What are they saying?" His sister pulled on his garments and asked impatiently.


    "I don''t have a clue, to be frank." He replied, looking clueless.


    "Hmm...Have you two made up?" Zi Fei looked over andsmiled.


    "For now..." Yurou cleared her throat and said nonchalantly. Ming looked at her with a clear trace of bitterness but he didn''t push on the subject.


    "It''s best when siblings get along, especially twins." The three of them were caught off guard. Elder Muyun and the other two had suddenly stopped whispering and looked at them with amused expressions.


    "Did I ever tell you about how my brother and I, when were kids..."


    The old man was preparing to ramble again when he was cut byZi Muyue who cleared her throat and stared menacingly at him.


    "Hiyaa...I get it already. Just listen to this old man and get along, will you? I don''t want two more troublesome disciples on my hands. If you will accept me that is..."


    His expression was pitiful to the extreme as he sighed and said.


    "Who?" The three teenagers said in unison. The surprise could be seen on their face.


    "You two twins." The man sipped on some tea and replied.


    "Really?!...." The twins got up and looked at each other. They suddenly realized they were a bit improper and asked at the same time:


    "What about sister Fei?!" Yurou frowned as she asked. "What about my girlfriend?!" Mingalso asked on his side.


    "So young, so happy in love! Haa..." Zi Muyun felt a flash of nostalgy. His look was haggard and his nephew and daughter shook their heads in understanding. He was too inspired to continue being serious so the young man took over for him as he answered:


    "She''ll be under the tutelage of my father once we go back." The man replied curtly. "If you''ll excuse me, I feel a little tired."


    He left the room without paying any more attention to the children trio.


    "What was that?" Zi Ming thought. The man wasn''t acting like usual.


    "Don''t worry about my cousin, our clan has its own policies. You three are talented children after all." Zi Muyue tried to clear some of their doubts with this answer.


    "No need to sugarcoat things." Zi Muyun finally snapped out of his daze. "I''m only a great elder of the clan, I can''t monopolize good seedlings."


    The boy and the two girls finally understood. They didn''t know how to react and just nodded.


    "So, what do you say?" Elder Muyue looked at them and asked. "Don''t look at this old fox with the eyes of amateurs. He may be a bit quirky but he''s still the strongest man in an area of over twenty thousand li." She bit her lips as she said with some difficulty.


    "..." Zi Muyun was speechless, his mouth was agape and he turned to the twins. "I think my daughter really wants you two to become her junior brothers."


    The twins looked at Zi Fei, then looked at each other with a firm look and kowtowed.


    "Disciple greets master!" Both of them said.


    "Hmm." Zi Muyun felt fifty years younger as he accepted their gesture.


    Moments later, Zi Fei had been asked to leave the room. The group of master and disciplesneeded to talk some more and share somerestrictedinformation.


    "Now that we''ve officially established this fellowship, I''ll tell you the real reason why I asked you two to stay."


    Zi Muyundidn''t have a remaining shred of a funny bone in his body as he told the two siblings. The twins swallowed their saliva anxiously looking meek and apprehensive.


    "Have you ever heard of the Pixiu?"


    ....................................................


    "Shaomei, howclose are we?"


    Two men were running inside the forest. The older one wore radiant green and hooded garments. He had a very thin face and mean traits. One look from this man could probably scare quiet all the babies in a small vicinity. His night-black beardkeptbouncingon his stomach as the pair ran. The most noticeable trait of his was his freakish height and slim frame.


    "Not far master, I think we''ll reach our destination in about three days if we maintain this speed."


    The younger and smaller one was dressed the same way, except for the color of his clothes which were blood-red. Some sort of crystal ball was hanging over his head as he followed behind the man he called master.

 Chapter 25

    "Simply speaking, in this world, there are different types of creatures..." Elder Muyun paused and surveyed the twins'' expressions before he continued:


    "As the two of you probably know already, people and beasts differ innumerous ways. Let me ask you two first what''s the difference between mortals and cultivators." Hequestionedwith an amused smile. The middle-aged man expected this question not to bedifficulteven for youngsters living in the countryside.


    Both of them could be counted among those that were capable to read in this rundown village. According to what his daughter related earlier, he knew the boy liked to make trips to the village library but he wasn''t so sure concerning the lass.


    The twins looked at each other for a second before the older brother nodded and let his sister answer:


    "Mortals and cultivators both absorb the energy of Heaven and Earth. The first does it unconsciously by eating food and other daily sustenance, medicine or natural treasures. The latter known as a cultivator uses this energy and refines it for several different beneficial purposes.


    The main point separating mortals from cultivators is that the latter principally knows and masters the means necessary in order to use and transform energy. This mastery is known as Cultivation and beyond anything else, such as the attainment of strength or magical powers, its goal is to help in the quest for immortality."


    "Good." Zi Muyun nodded in approval. He crossed his arms and relaxed before asking the girl:


    "Now, what''s the difference between animals, beasts and demon beasts?" The question was a bit trickier than the last.


    Zi Yurou frowned a bit at this question.


    "Don''t worry and just answer this geezer, he''s just bored and is asking some entry knowledge to mystify you both. He hasn''t been teaching youngsters for a while and has grown anxious to resume such meaningless activities." The man''s daughter just shook her head and said to reassure her new junior sister.


    "Now, now don''t call it meaningless. Strength is important for any cultivator, but sometimes having smarts can prove to be useful even on the battlefield. I thought you would know this better after all these years but..." The man started admonishing his daughter once more but she simply ignored it and said:


    "Yurou junior sister, go ahead and answer before we spend the rest of the day here."


    "Huh?...yes." Zi Yurou replied in a stressed tone and followed:


    "Animals, beasts and demon beasts roam across the earth. Some of them live in forests or underwater, others live in the skies and underground. While animals, beasts and demon beasts can all be tamed by humans, it is easier to get the two former to do one''s bidding without the assistance of a cultivator. The term animal simply refers to any other creature or wildlife that isn''t human, while beasts are essentially monsters that have yet to form a demon core. Monsters range from dogs to fish, birds, etc."


    "Hum. Continue." Zi Muyue looked at her father who seemed to agree as he listened silently with eyes closed and said.


    "Demon beasts are simply those creatures that have overcome the body refinement stage and formed a demon core. Like cultivators, they can absorb and transform the energy of Heaven and Earth and develop magical powers. They have a longer lifespan compared to humans, however..."


    The girl hesitated as she seemed to think of a detail she forgot. But she dismissed it and ended her speech somewhat nervous. Now she could only wait for the assessment of the old man before her. She couldn''t help but wonder how these questions were related to the "Pixiu" thing elder Muyun mentioned before.


    "Not bad. My question wasn''t meant to trick you; I simply wanted to know where you two were situated on the subject." Zi Muyun explained. He then continued as he said:


    "Now, for the reason why I asked this...let''s just say, you need a certain level of knowledge concerning creatures in order to understand how heaven-defying a Pixiu is." Zi Muyun paused and looked haggard for a moment. His gaze remained centered on the ceiling for three full seconds before he sighed.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "Honestly speaking, your explanation was satisfactory, but you forgot to mention one important detail..."


    "What was it, If I may ask master?" The lass asked curiously.


    "Cultivation methods..."


    "??" The twins looked perplexed for a moment.


    "Demon beasts and cultivators practice cultivation in two different ways. For beasts, it cannot even be called cultivation but plundering. Beasts simply cannot use cultivation manuals and human skills in order to gain insights into the Dao or experience a breakthrough. It only depends on the purity of their bloodlines, the number, and quality of demon cores they steal and eat, or the passing of time. Most beasts prefer to be active in their quest for immortality, but it is dangerous for them to do so, as they either die fighting other beasts or humans."


    The man took a moment of respite once more.


    "Some demon beasts such as dragons are born with an extremely ancient or pure primordial bloodline. As such they have a longer natural lifespan compared to other beasts. They don''t need to risk too much in order to get stronger. They can simply sleep and awaken with a stronger strength after centuries. They can be called heaven-defying as they get stronger by simply lazying around. The higher the purity of the bloodline, the higher the demon beast grade. Natural endowment only follows exponentially.


    But above all of these grades, there is the divine grade. A divine grade beast, as stupid as it sounds can cultivate to immortality in less than a week according to legends. However the term immortal only refers to those who have awakened to the true essence of cultivation. Even, humans don''t become undying after reaching the immortal realm; they simply live extremely long."


    "Go straight to the point, geezer." Zi Muyue who listened in annoyance reminded him.


    "Haha, sorry for being so long-winded. I''m losing myself in such a captivating subject from time to time." The man looked at the twins with a self-blaming grin. "You two must be tired."


    "No, master please elaborate." Zi Yurou said. Zi Ming was thinking too earnestly to care to comment. He only wanted the man to resume his speech. There was after all perhaps important information concerning his wolf pup.


    "So, as I was saying...


    Some beasts don''t need to cultivate for a long time in order to gain strong strength. But even such beasts are limited by the constraints of time and the scarcity of resources after a while. They can''t just sleep their way to death, one can only gain so much strength without doing anything of value. Talent can only take you so far on the road of cultivation. So from time to time, legendary beasts such as dragons and pegasus are seen in the human world."


    "You mean every ten thousand years maybe..." Zi Muyue mocked.


    "Something like that. But that isn''t my point. My point is there''s one creature that defies this natural ordinance..."


    "You mean?..." The siblings would be dumb if they didn''t understand where the old man was trying to go now.


    "You''ve probably guessed already so I''ll stop being mysterious." Zi Muyun nodded. "A legend says that when the heavens and the earth were created, a mistake was made by the Dao. This one supposedly mistake is called the Pixiu."


    Zi Muyun looked at his disciples very seriously and continued.


    "What do you think would happen if a demon beast was born with a truly endless lifespan and could comprehend and cultivate human skills?"


    "..." The two of them became speechless. They considered several possibilities but they didn''t know how to voice them out for fear of being taken the wrong way. Why would their master even share such a secret with them? They only met a few days ago, after all.


    "You''re probably wondering why I''m sharing such a dangerous secret with you two?" He grinned and asked.


    They nodded awkwardly.


    "That item we''re looking for is the core of a baby Pixiu. It''s beneficial to latent martial spirits and body refinement beasts.Sadly It can only be used once every ten years or so. Also, the benefit obtained is reduced when the number of people it''s used on goes beyond five. This is also one of the reasons why we considered recruiting you three as you possess a solid foundation even compared to the young generationfrom the main clan."


    Everything suddenly became clearto them.


    "I won''t go into details but there are several factions in our clan and potential risks of rearing apoisonous snake for my father. This is why we didn''t want to take anyone from the clan as we came along. You three seem like genuine young people and the risk of a potential betrayal is small since your aunt married into our household. I know it may sound bad but you''ll understand how dangerous this world really is once you step out of this place."


    Zi Muyue added calmly.


    "I''ll let you two process this information for the rest of the day. You need to rest now, tomorrow we''re heading inside the forest to catch that thieving beast which probably killed your grandparents." The man got up and said.


    The twins were once again shocked.


    "Don''t worry we''ll make sure nothing harmful happens to you two. We can''t delay any longer and take the risk to perform the ceremony a long time afterobtaining the core. You two probably don''t know but our clan got a lot of enemies and the probability of us having been followedis quite high." Zi Muyun reassured as he left the room.

 Chapter 26

    "So...let me get it straight..." The teenage girl looked at the boy who was fiddling in thought with one of his bangs.


    "If I understand it right, the new master we just acknowledged, informs us that there''s an opportunity for us to turn into heaven-defying evildoers if we follow him inside a forbidden forest to hunt some ferocious monster, and all you find to do is seating playing around with your mess of a spiky hair?


    "What else should I be doing?" The lad grinned foolishly and asked.


    "...You should at least try and act a little more concerned!" The girl exclaimed with a bit of panic as she gritted her teeth. The rest of her body was also convulsing in an uncontrollable manner.


    "Hmm?" Zi Ming snarled in amusement. He looked at the girl''s trembling hands and spasms then said. "You''re acting weirder than I am. If I didn''t know you better I would be thinking that you''re scared right now..."


    "I''m not scared, you idiot." She replied curtly as she began calculating in her mind.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    "I know you''re not, hehe. That''s what is making me troubled. You, this girl..."


    "You''re not worried?" She snapped out of her thoughts and asked.


    "What should I be worried about? You''ve heard thewoman, her father is strong!! " He emphasized especially on the last word.


    "So, you believe that story?" She asked again with a sense of unease.


    "I do actually..." Zi Ming said with a serious face.


    "Sigh." Zi Yurou looked at her brother with a defeated expression before she said:


    "You know, I''ve probably never told you this before but there''s something weird I''ve noticed about you ever since we were kids..."


    "What?" The boy asked curiously.


    "It''s like you''ve got two different personalities when things ever got real. You tend to become more calm and composed when faced with these types of issues." She smiled as she replied.


    "Hmm...maybe if you say so? I don''t think that''s a bad thing is it?" Zi Ming seemed to be recollecting his memories as he answered.


    "No, idiot." The girl''s smile changed from a defeated look to one of excitement and teasing. "Let''s not remain around here too long and worry my future sis in law, let''s go."


    "You go first, I''ve got one or two things to figure out first, we''ll talk later." Zi Ming agreed. "Try and call Heilang here for me if you can by the way."


    "Okay!"His sister walked out looking a bit more reassured.

 Chapter 27

    Ten minutes after Zi Yurou left the courtyard, a small black pup dashed inside the room where her brother was.


    "You''re finally here..." Zi Ming was pondering over the information his newfound master shared when he noticed his baby pet walking in through the door.


    "Wuwu!" Heilang pounced on his owner and began to lick him all over his face. It had been a while since the two of them played or trained together ever since the arrival of Zi Haofengf and his company. As a cautious person, Zi Ming always took care not to reveal things that could put him or his family and friends in potential harm. He had a very good impression of elder Muyue, her father and her cousin. The relationship grew a thousand miles further every other day, but...


    At the end of the day, the three of them were still strangers, and most importantly, he was still weak. Very weak.


    Heilang had too many secrets on his body, and the boy couldn''t afford to show them in the open at this point in time.


    What he was worried about right now was something related to this little friend. Zi Ming might seem like a carefree teenage boy with no experience, but his mind was extremely keen and quick.


    "Heilang, hide in my clothes, we''re making a trip in the forest real quick."


    "Wu!" The small beast was puzzled but didn''t refuse to do so. The furry ball jumped on his collar, entered his garments and hid.


    Zi Ming smiled and stroke him for a few seconds before he decided to leave the room. As the courtyard was left empty the teen thought seriously:Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    "Time to execute the plan...I hope I''m just imagining things right now."


    Before the two of them left for the forest, Zi Ming went back to his hut and grabbed a small leather bag. He hid Heilang inside then headed for the closest house. He knocked a few times on the door before a bored voice sounded from inside:


    "Get in." The voice was melodious despite showing traces of monotony.


    As he made his way inside her room, the woman glanced at him and asked:


    "What is it, now? Don''t hinder my cultivation if you''re not planning another breakthrough today."


    "Don''t make fun of me senior sister, how could I possibly advance again in such a short time, haha."


    The lad answered in a joking but respectful tone.


    "Pah! what is body tempering? If not for me being worried about your foundation, you would have already reached the ninth stage." She spat in disdain.


    Zi Ming smiled bitterly when he heard this. "Were all women from the city the same?" He worried.


    The woman noticed his expression and smiled as if she understood his thoughts. She would have cleared his doubts if she was in a patient mood. Now she just wanted to get rid of him as fast as possible and resume her cultivation.


    "Okay, speak what do you want?"


    "Nothing really, I just need some more of those pills you gave me yesterday."


    "Oh..." She reached out in the air and grabbed something. As she flicked her sleeve once more green pills were thrown at Zi Ming''s feet.


    He thanked her and left in a hurry. As the doors closed the woman seemed to think about something. She opened her eyes for the first time ever since the boy entered.


    She tried to get up hesitatingly but dismissed the idea the next moment.


    "It still is too soon for him to learn this anyway. Let''s resume where I left off."


    What she didn''t know was that her hesitation to follow the boy that day prevented her to assist to the birth of the legend of the "Undying Wolf Sovereign" who would later be known as the most transcendental canine demon beast to have graced the cultivation world.

 Chapter 28

    Zi Ming walked for several miles, his objective was to reach the nearest mountain where the forest was thick and dense.


    The runt was restless inside his clothes and as soon as they reached their destination, he jumped out.


    "Wuwu, wu!" The pup grumbled in dissatisfaction.


    "I know, I know, I''ve been unfair to you. Here a little treat" Zi Ming smiled in apology and threw him some dry meat as compensation. The little glutton''s eyes shone brightly as he caught the food mid-air. The pleasure was visible on his face, and all his previous troubles were forgotten.


    "Haha." Zi Ming found it funny and couldn''t hold back his laughter. The wolf pup begged for more after he was done but the boy wasn''t having it. He said:


    "I''ll give you a real treat after we''re done with our job here. Be good for a while"


    "Wuwu?" Heilang didn''t understand words but was smart. It sat down and wagged his tail, waiting for its master to give directions.


    "Good boy."


    Zi Ming took out a pill bottle, contemplated for a while before deciding his next move.


    During the exchange with his master, Zi Ming guessed anything indistinctly.


    The creature mentioned by his master had some special powers that went against the laws of heaven and Earth.


    Not that he would be gullible as to think that his wolf pup was similar to this so-called "Pixiu", but when he thought things through, no one knew exactly where the core of that creature went. The biggest clue concerning that treasure disappearance was the monster they were supposed to hunt tomorrow. As for what that beast was supposed to look like or actually be, it was only wild guesses and wishful thinking. It could be a bear, a tiger or anything else for that matter.


    When Zi Ming realized this, he smiled internally. If any creature was possible, then why not a wolf?


    Heilang was only a newborn, so it couldn''t have the strength to deal with Zi Ming''s grandparents or kill them. But...the pup was clearly aimless and wandering inside the mountains. Who were his parents?


    They couldn''t be ordinary, but if it was so, then why no one never noticed such a strange wolf breed after so long?


    The only answer Zi Ming could come up with was that either the pup didn''t come from this border, or that his mutation was only due to some recessive gene that only awakened after a long time.


    Nonetheless, those theories all seemed to be farfetched.


    For the first theory, Heilang would have needed very strong concealment and hunting skills. As for the second one, the chance was extremely small, especially in the case of diluted bloodlines.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The most logical answer was that Heilang could be related to the animal that killed his grandparents at that time and it was absolutely terrifying. If his guess was true, he could never share it with anyone.


    Sharing this secret with the Zi Clansmen was especially forbidden.


    First of all, they could try and separate them or silence him. Last but not least, he wouldn''t be in his right mind if he passed up on the chance of getting a strong helper.


    "According to my conjectures, Heilang''s dad or mom must be some kind of mutated gluttonous monster. If he''s not mutated then the one who benefited from that legendary animal''s core must be my little friend here.


    Either way, Heilang, and his parents aren''t your usual demon beasts. As for that blood healing ability of his...let''s investigate it some more."


    "Heilang, come closer."


    "Wuwu." Heilang was impatient to get another treat. He wagged his tail and walked closer to his master obediently.


    "Good, boy." Zi Ming patted his head then bit his own finger. He let his blood drip inside the bottle and shook it. Once the pills were completely soaked with his blood he took one out.


    The wolf pup looked at his actions curiously but became excited as soon as he smelled the fragrance. He began to circle around at high speed.


    "I hope this works." Zi Ming caught Heilang and put one of the pills inside his mouth. The latter tried to chew but it was somewhat bitter despite the bit of blood it was smeared with.


    "Wuwu!" Heilang cried and barked at Zi Ming for tricking him.


    "Now, as for the tricky part..."


    Zi Ming did as usual and let the wolf lick his wounds.


    What happened next wasn''t exceptionally different from usual, the wound closed up and Zi Ming''s scar was gone.


    But for some reason, the lad felt that his finger was different from before. To confirm his doubts, Zi Ming walked up to a nearby tree with a thick trunk and launched a strike.


    What happened next left him completely out of sorts.


    ........................................................


    "Twitch!"


    Zi Ming''s finger jabbed inside the trunk like butter. He was so shocked that he almost jumped in fright. He didn''t put any particular strength in that strike but the result left him gobsmacked.


    "Wu..." Heilang who was by the side wailed in shock. He backed up a little and it seemed as if he was reconsidering future contests with this strange human boy.


    "Yes! Haha." His surprise didn''t end here as the lad began to laugh boisterously like a drunk old man and perform celebration dances. Zi Ming was so elated that he started acting just like his father. At this moment he was experiencing different sorts of thoughts and feelings.


    He would have never imagined that the wolf he brought back that day would turn his luck and even possibly his future around in such a manner. You didn''t have to be a genius to figure that what happened just now was thanks to Heilang.


    "I just let Heilang eat body tempering pills dripped with my blood, and this is the result...


    In other meanings, if I were to let him other types of medicinal pills maybe I could get new benefits. As for the key aspect, does this little runt saliva retain the effects permanently?" He considered as he calmed down.


    "Hmm, there''s no other way to figure this one out than wait. If tonight and tomorrow, this guy is still the same, then it''s safe to assume the best."


    "One thing I also need to understand is how this guy''s body works. There''s just no way his constitution would be normal. Sadly, I don''t think there''s any way to uncover it with my current strength.


    I also want to train this little guy and see if he''s the first person to profit from his abnormal genetics, but it''s not exactly the right time. I''ll wait until we get to the city and those elders let their guards down. Seeing a newborn pup increase his cultivation quickly would obviously put us at risk."


    Zi Ming contemplated some more before he decided to call it a day and go back with the small wolf.


    "I''ll let you eat until you become bloated today, let''s head home."


    "Wuwu!"